Sydney van Hooijdonk to Celtic transfer 'blocked' as Bologna cling on to striker in face of mounting interest

Celtic have been told their pursuit of Sydney van Hooijdonk is going nowhere as Bologna 'blocked' a summer move.

The striker was touted as a target of the Scottish champions, with the added spice that the Dutch attacker is the son of former Celtic favourite Pierre. The asking price for the 23-year-old was reportedly set at around £4.2million, with Brendan Rodgers’ side in the hunt for a new centre-forward with Mathias Kvistgaarden also linked throughout the summer window. But interest from Celtic, Crystal Palace, Brentford and Wolfsburg has all been blocked by the Serie A side, according to Sky Sports.

van Hooijdonk had been considering transfer options this window according to reports, after finding the back of the net 19 times on loan at Dutch side Heerenveen last campaign. But now the Italians have taken any potential deal off the table, with the forward told he will be stay in Bologna. It was a similar story with Kvistgaarden from Brondby after the Danes dug their heels in on their valuation.

Celtic go in to the season with two recognised centre-forwards in Kyogo Furuhashi and Oh, with winger Luis Palma bolstering options in a five-year deal from Aris. The Hoops are looking to wrap up their loan move for Paulo Bernardo from Benfica before the deadline of midnight on Friday.