No bids made for Moussa Dembele

Reports surfaced yesterday that West Ham had launched a £20m bid to sign Celtic’s star striker Moussa Dembele in January.

Well, those claims have quickly been laid to rest it seems.

Assistant manager Chris Davies was speaking to the media in Dubai this morning and addressed reports of a bid for the 20-year-old.

Twitter: CD on speculation over bids for @MDembele_10 “Definitely well below his valuation that’s for sure. No formal bid.” #BhoysinDubai (@celticfc)

“[£20m is] Definitely well below his valuation that’s for sure. No formal bid [has been made].” Davies told reporters.

“It’s all paper talk and speculation. Moussa is happy and we are working hard, and that’s that.”

“Message has been pretty clear from the manager, we know this is the best place for Moussa to develop and improve.”

So, the Celtic camp have stated no bid has been made, but what about from the alleged bidders?

West Ham co-chairman David Sullivan told Telegraph Sport today that his club have not made a bid for the player and that he is not a target for the Hammers.

“We have not bid for this player and he’s not a target of ours.”

So both sides confirm no bid has been made, which begs the question: why are West Ham posting on their official site about a £20m bid being made?

Either way, it appears Moussa Dembele’s immediate future is firmly at Celtic and they have no intention of selling the France U21 international.