Celtic ready to cut losses on £4.5m signing after just one season
Michel-Ange Balikwisha looks increasingly likely to leave Celtic in the coming weeks after a nightmare first season at the Hoops.
The Belgian forward arrived from Royal Antwerp for £4.5million last summer after being pursued by Celtic for more than a year, but has managed just 398 minutes of football despite being fit throughout the campaign.
Signed during Brendan Rodgers’ final transfer window, Balikwisha struggled for opportunities under the former Hoops boss and Wilfried Nancy before again finding himself on the fringes under Martin O’Neill.
After some involvement during pre-season, the 24-year-old appears to have slipped back down the pecking order and interest is now emerging from across Europe.
According to Belgian journalist Sacha Tavolieri, the race for Balikwisha remains “wide open”, with Bundesliga side SV Elversberg, Italian outfit Monza and Swiss giants Basel among the clubs interested.
The report describes Balikwisha as “a casualty of Martin O’Neill’s tactical approach”, although his lack of football predates O’Neill’s return.
Celtic initially considered signing Balikwisha in 2024 before an untimely injury halted a potential move.
The Hoops returned for him the following summer, but despite being widely reported as a key target, the deal was not completed until the final week of the window following Celtic’s disastrous Champions League qualifying exit.
Rodgers immediately handed Balikwisha his debut from the start at Ibrox, where he played 65 minutes of a goalless draw.
Remarkably, that remains one of only three starts he has made for Celtic.
His most recent came against sixth-tier Auchinleck Talbot in the Scottish Cup, ahead of which O’Neill offered an intriguing assessment of the forward by insisting he was “definitely not a wide player”.
Balikwisha was not alone in struggling for opportunities after arriving last summer. Hayato Inamura, Shin Yamada and Jahmai Simpson-Pusey were also brought in before receiving next-to-no meaningful game time.
Whether responsibility lies with Rodgers, former head of football operations Paul Tisdale or the wider recruitment structure, the situation represents another damning reflection on Celtic’s transfer business last summer.
After spending £4.5m on a player they had tracked for more than a year, Celtic now appear ready to move Balikwisha on barely 12 months later.
