Journalist Pete O'Rourke believes Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou will have targets in mind to potentially replace Giorgos Giakoumakis this month if the Greek is to leave Parkhead.

What's the latest?

There have been strong reports suggesting Celtic's Greek striker could now be heading for the exit door at Parkhead this month with talks ongoing over a potential move to Japan.

It has been reported by Sky Sports that the Bhoys had accepted a proposal in the region of £3m from J-League side Urawa Red Diamonds.

Postecoglou has been coy on reports of the 28-year-old potentially parting ways this month, but O'Rourke thinks the Australian will be prepared for his possible departure.

Speaking to Football FanCast, O'Rourke has suggested Postecoglou will not be willing to leave his side short of options by allowing Giakoumakis to leave without a replacement.

He said: "A lot will depend now they're going to possibly let Giakoumakis leave.

"If he was to leave, it would leave Celtic quite short up front, so I'm sure Ange Postecoglou has other targets in mind if Giakoumakis does end up leaving as well.

"I'm sure he won't want to leave his side short as they want to go on and win the clean sweep in Scotland this year with all the trophies on offer."

Strong squad depth

Currently, the Hoops sit firmly at the top for the Scottish Premiership with a nine-point gap to their city rivals in second spot as well as a League Cup final on the horizon against Michael Beale's men.

And they have done so with Postecoglou building a strong squad which has a lot of quality to come off the bench if and when needed.

Giakoumakis has been one of those players often relied on by Postecoglou to come off the bench this season despite finishing the 2021/22 campaign as the league's top scorer.

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Although the 28-year-old has only started four league games this term, Giakoumakis has still provided Celtic with six goals and an assist thus far (via Transfermarkt).

However, it is believed talks over a new deal have broken down between the two parties despite Giakoumakis landing in Glasgow just one year ago.

And this has seen the Bhoys linked to the likes to South Korea's World Cup star, Cho Gue-Sung, as well as Oh Hyeon-gyu from Suwon Samsung Bluewings.

Giakoumakis - despite his irregular game time - is currently Celtic's third-highest goalscorer this season so we would imagine Postecoglou would not allow him to leave without a direct replacement in line.

And in the likes of Oh Hyeon-gyu and Cho Gue-Sung, Celtic could be landing a striker who would arrive with a respectable goal return from their respective leagues.