Journalist Pete O'Rourke has offered his verdict on Celtic's reported interest in striker, Antoine Semenyo.

What's the word?

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the respected insider gave his backing to Ange Postecoglou's Hoops making a move for the 22-year-old, following reports that the Bhoys are interested in bringing the Chelsea-born striker to Celtic Park.

Asked about the prospect of Ange Postecoglou and co making a move for the forward, O'Rourke suggested that he could potentially replicate the club's former ace, Moussa Dembele: “He’s done well at Bristol City, whether he could have the same impact as Moussa Dembele had when he arrived from Fulham, that’s up for debate because Dembele was a real top signing for Celtic when they did get him.

“He showed that with his goals under Brendan Rodgers that helped them win so many trophies and also played in the Champions League as well. So, I think Semenyo does look a good player, and if Celtic could land him, I think it could be a good piece of business.”

Fellow insider Dean Jones has previously insisted, however, that it would take a "big package" to land the £3.5k-per-week gem this summer, suggesting a fee of around £15m - a figure that would shatter the club's current record deal.

Dembele 2.0

As O'Rourke suggested, Semenyo - who has recently opted to play for Ghana at international level - could follow in the footsteps of the aforementioned Dembele, with the Frenchman having also arrived in a Glasgow from a Championship side, joining from Fulham in the summer of 2016.

The Lyon ace would prove an instant hit at Parkhead, netting 50 years to net a hat-trick in an Old Firm derby, doing so in a 5-1 thrashing of Rangers in September 2016.

He would go on to score 51 goals and register 18 assists in 94 appearances for the club in total before departing for Ligue 1 on a £19.7m deal, allowing Celtic to rake in a tidy profit having signed the player for a reported compensation fee of around £500k.

Such a bargain buy is out of the question in the case of the Bristol man, although the hope would be that on the pitch he can be equally as devastating, with his form in the most recent campaign illustrating just what an exceptional talent he is.

Dubbed the "perfect all round attacker" by journalist Bill Eshun, the £2.25m-rated speedster has showcased both his goalscoring prowess and his creative talents in the 2021/22 season, netting eight goals and providing 12 assists from his 31 appearances, while also recording an impressive 2.3 shots per game.

Clearly a player keen to make things happen in the final third, the one-time Sunderland loanee also averaged a solid 7.03 match rating, as per SofaScore, with that the fourth-highest among the Robins' squad.

Nigel Pearson's side are likely to be keen to keep hold of their prized asset for next term, although should Celtic fork out the cash, Postecoglou can offer the youngster the dangling carrot that is Champions League football.

As Dembele proved, the step up from England's second tier to the elite level can be more than manageable.

In other news: Ange can land his own Van Dijk as Celtic eye bid for "tremendous" £4.05m-rated machine