Celtic still have plenty to play for between now and the end of the current season as they bid to avoid enduring a trophyless year with Brendan Rodgers at the helm.
The Hoops are currently three points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership table with three matches left to play, and have a big Old Firm clash coming this weekend.
They also have the SFA Cup final to come at Hampden Park against their closest rivals, which means that they could still win two pieces of silverware this month.
Despite there still being plenty to play for on the pitch, some attention has already turned to the upcoming summer transfer window and what they could do to bolster the squad for the 2024/25 campaign.
That, however, is not limited to bringing new players in from elsewhere, as Celtic are reportedly looking to make one of their current loan deals a permanent one.
Celtic preparing bid to sign £5m star
The Hoops are hoping to sign loanee Adam Idah on a long-term contract at the end of the season, when his loan deal expires later this year.
According to Football Insider, the Bhoys are keen to sign him permanently after an impressive stint on loan from Norwich City in Glasgow thus far.
The report claims that Rodgers and Celtic are ready to submit an official offer to secure his services in the off-season, which shows how serious they are about getting a deal over the line.
However, it does not reveal how much the Scottish giants are prepared to put on the table to bring him back to Parkhead for the 2024/25 campaign.
Earlier this month, The Scottish Sun reported that the Canaries have set a minimum fee of £5m on the centre-forward ahead of the summer window.
The outlet stated that his price could also depend on the level of interest in his services, as competition for his signature could drive it up beyond £5m, as English Championship sides and Hellas Verona have been keen on the attacker.
It, therefore, remains to be seen whether or not the Hoops can land him on a permanent deal as Football Insider's report does not state how much they are willing to pay.
If Celtic are able and prepared to submit an offer of £5m for Idah then they could win the race for the Ireland international and ensure that his future remains in Glasgow.
Signing the 6 foot 3 forward on a permanent deal would, however, represent a piece of bad news for current Bhoys number nine Hyeon-gyu Oh.
Why this is bad news for Hyeon-gyu Oh
Celtic's desire to bring Idah back to Parkhead this summer is bad news for the South Korea international as it does not bode well for his future prospects.
He has made three appearances for Celtic in all competitions since the turn of the year, all three of which came as a substitute and two of them came against St Mirren.
Oh, who spent the bulk of January at the AFC Asian Cup with South Korea, has played more games for his country in 2024 (four) than he has for the Scottish giants.
The 23-year-old striker has made two appearances in the Scottish Premiership in 2024, after 18 outings and three starts during the first half of the campaign in the division.
He racked up five goals and zero assists in those 18 matches as the young forward found himself as the second choice behind Kyogo Furuhashi in the pecking order.
These statistics show that the signing of Idah has severely restricted his minutes on the pitch, as the young attacker has rarely got his feet on the field in a competitive setting since the Irishman's arrival.
Appearances
20
Starts
3
Goals
5
Big chances missed
5
Duel success rate
41%
Signed from Suwon Bluewings for a reported fee of £2.5m in January of last year, Oh produced six goals and zero assists in 16 league outings for Celtic during the second half of the 2022/23 campaign.
In almost 18 months at Parkhead, the South Korean marksman has plundered 12 goals in 47 matches and only started six Premiership games in total.
The desire to sign Idah is, therefore, bad news for Oh as it does not suggest that his lack of game time in Glasgow is likely to change any time soon, and it could force him to consider his future ahead of next season.
Why Celtic should sign Adam Idah permanently
The Scottish giants should swoop to sign the Norwich City loanee on a permanent deal as he is a better option than the South Korea international to provide competition to Kyogo in the number nine position.
Since his move to Paradise on a temporary basis on deadline day at the start of February, Idah has caught the eye with his impressive finishing in Scotland.
The 23-year-old star, who was lauded as "sensational" by Chris Sutton earlier this term, has racked up seven goals in 12 Premiership appearances so far for the Hoops.
Appearances
12
20
Starts
4
3
Goals
7
5
Minutes per goal
72
124
Big chances missed
6
5
Assists
2
0
Big chances created
1
0
As you can see in the table above, his form in the Scottish top-flight has been more impressive than Oh's for Celtic so far this season, with two more goals and two more assists in eight fewer games.
The Norwich academy graduate has scored seven goals from an xG of 5.24, which is an overperformance of 1.76 – the highest in the entire Hoops squad.
Whereas, Oh has scored five goals from an xG of 6.35 in the Premiership and only three players in the squad have underperformed by more than his -1.35.
This suggests that Idah has been the best and most efficient finisher in the group in the top-flight this term, whilst the former K League 1 star has been among the worst.
Therefore, Rodgers would be making the right decision, on paper, to sign the Ireland international permanently to further restrict Oh's involvement in the first-team.