The Scottish Premiership season is only a matter of weeks away from kicking off and Celtic are preparing to host Kilmarnock at Parkhead on the opening day.
Brendan Rodgers is looking to win the top-flight title for the second year in succession, and what would be the fourth year of dominance for the club.
The Northern Irish head coach won the Premiership title and the SFA Cup in his first season back at Parkhead last year, after replacing Ange Postecoglou in the dugout.
Rodgers now has over a month to go in the summer transfer window, which officially opened for business last month, to make additions to his side to kick on and win more silverware in the 2024/25 campaign.
Goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel is reportedly set to join on a free transfer, having left Anderlecht, to become the new number one, following Joe Hart's retirement at the end of last term.
The Scottish giants are also looking to bolster their options at the top end of the pitch, though, and are reportedly keen to add a new winger to the group.
Celtic's pursuit of electric winger
According to Belgian journalist Sacha Tavolieri, the Premiership champions are interested in a summer swoop to sign Royal Antwerp FC attacker Michel-Ange Balikwisha.
The reporter claims that the Hoops have already made contact with the player's representatives to discuss a possible deal to bring the winger to Glasgow before the window slams shut at the end of August.
He adds that the two clubs are expected to enter into talks to negotiate a transfer fee for the young forward, which suggests that their conversations with his agents went well and that they have been encouraged to speak with Antwerp.
Tavolieri does not, however, reveal how much the Pro League side would want in order to let go of the 23-year-old wizard ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.
The journalist also does not state whether or not there are other clubs interested in signing the right-footed talent, which means that it remains to be seen how difficult this potential deal could be for the Hoops.
However, this news that Celtic are set for talks with Antwerp suggests that the club have a serious interest in the forward and that they are now prepared to formalise it with an approach, and possible bid, in an attempt to bring him to Scotland.
If the Hoops can get a deal over the line for Balikwisha then they could land an exciting upgrade on current Bhoys left winger Daizen Maeda.
Why Celtic need a Daizen Maeda upgrade
The Japan international does bring positive qualities to the pitch with his outstanding work ethic in and out of possession for the Scottish giants.
Rodgers said that his presence on the pitch is akin to having "two players" due to his fantastic work rate, and he made 1.9 tackles and interceptions per game to win possession back for his side in the Premiership last term to back up that claim.
However, he is an attacking player and operates down the left flank for Celtic and that means that the Japanese forward must offer a big threat in the final third to go alongside his superb defensive work.
Unfortunately, Maeda struggles at the top end of the pitch and that is evident in his statistics from the Premiership and the Champions League during the 2023/24 campaign.
The 26-year-old attacker only managed six goals and four assists in 32 appearances across those two competitions for the Hoops under Rodgers.
Appearances
28
4
Goals
6
0
Assists
3
1
Key passes per game
0.5
0.5
Dribbles completed per game
1.1
2.0
Dribble success rate
47%
47%
As you can see in the table above, he offered a very average threat as a scorer and provided very little from a creative perspective, with a key pass every other game across those 32 matches.
In the Premiership, Maeda scored six goals from 8.78 xG and only Kyogo Furuhashi (-4.39) underperformed his expected tally by more than him within the Celtic squad, which illustrates how wasteful he was in front of goal.
Rodgers could now land an upgrade on the Japanese winger by swooping to sign a player who works hard defensively whilst offering more as a scorer and a creator on the flank.
Why Michel-Ange Balikwisha is a Daizen Maeda upgrade
Firstly, the 23-year-old ace is a right-footed left winger and this means that he can play in the role that Maeda currently occupies for the Scottish giants.
Secondly, Balikwisha has the defensive work rate and nous to replace the work the current Hoops forward provides, based on his statistics in the Pro League last season.
He ranked within the top 5% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the division for both tackles (2.83) and interceptions (1.06) per 90, whilst the talented youngster also ranked within the top 28% for blocks (1.21) per 90.
This shows that the Antwerp wizard is a hard-working forward who does not shirk his defensive responsibilities out wide and is willing to put the hard yards in to either press high to win possession back or to drop in and help his full-back out, like Maeda.
Appearances
33
xG
6.46
Goals
7
Assists
5
Big chances created
6
Key passes per game
1.5
As you can see in the table above, Balikwisha is also a threat at the top end of the pitch with his ability to score and create goals from a left wing position.
He outperformed his xG in the Pro League for Antwerp, whilst Maeda underperformed his, and made three times as many key passes per game in comparison to the Hoops speedster.
These statistics suggest that Balikwisha, who was hailed as a "high level" dribbler by U23 scout Antonio Mango, could provide more to Rodgers at the top end of the pitch as he is the superior finisher of the two and significantly more creative, whilst still offering defensive quality.
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Therefore, the Belgian magician could come in as an instant upgrade on Maeda if he can translate that form from his home country over to Scottish football.