Celtic have reportedly stepped up their interest in French winger Aaron Malouda following an impressive breakthrough season with Sabah FK in Azerbaijan.
According to L’Équipe, the Hoops are among the clubs already moving forward with talks over a possible summer deal for the 20-year-old attacker. Italian side Sampdoria are also said to be in the picture.
Malouda has quietly built strong numbers this season after leaving Lille for regular first-team football. The winger has scored eight league goals and added four assists in 23 appearances for Sabah, becoming one of the club’s main attacking outlets despite arriving with little senior experience behind him.
That rise has clearly not gone unnoticed.
The son of former Chelsea and France winger Florent Malouda, Aaron has spent most of his development years inside French academy football but struggled to break into senior squads consistently before his move abroad. The decision to leave France now looks to have worked perfectly for him.
What makes the story interesting from a Celtic point of view is the timing.
Reports from France claim Celtic have already presented their plans to the player and discussions have started over a possible contract. That suggests this is more than simple scouting interest.
Celtic’s recruitment team have spent the last few windows looking for younger attacking players with resale value and first-team upside. Malouda fits that model closely. He can play on either wing, has also featured centrally at times this season, and looks comfortable carrying the ball directly at defenders rather than simply holding width.
His output has improved steadily throughout the campaign as well.
Several of his best performances came after January once Sabah made his move permanent. He also contributed against Qarabağ and Zira, two of the stronger sides in the Azerbaijani league, which gives the numbers a bit more weight.
There will naturally be questions about the level he is coming from. Celtic supporters have seen mixed results from project signings over the years. But the club’s interest appears to be built around potential rather than a finished article.
At 20 years old, with regular senior football now behind him, Malouda looks like a player trying to accelerate his career quickly instead of waiting around in reserve football.
That alone usually catches Celtic’s attention.
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