Former Celtic wonderkid set to be dumped to Blackburn after WOEFUL season
Cameron Smith
- Updated: 30 Jul 2023 13:47 BST
- 3 min read
Former Celtic wonderkid Karamoko Dembele is set to be sold by Ligue 1 club Stade Brestois this summer, with Championship side Blackburn Rovers reportedly interested in giving him another chance in Britain.
Dembele, 20, burst onto the scene back in 2016 when he was invited to participate in a light first-team session at Celtic by then manager Brendan Rodgers.
At the time, Dembele was playing for Celtic’s U13 side and had just been named ‘Player of the Tournament’ at the St Kevin's Boys Academy Cup.
MORE: Premier League 2023/24 summer transfers: All the Done Deals
Later that year, Dembele hit the headlines when he made his Celtic U20 debut aged 13; two years later, he signed his first professional contract at 15 years old.
However, despite the hype surrounding him in Scotland, Dembele made just 10 first-team appearances for Celtic, scoring one goal, and he left to join Stade Brestois on a free transfer in 2022.
Last season, Dembele played just 163 Ligue 1 minutes for Brest and didn’t start a single league game all campaign. L’Equipe, via Foot Mercato, have now reported the club are willing to sell him this summer, despite the fact he’s contracted until 2026.
MORE: Arsenal star Tierney 'would want to come back to Celtic'
Brest have reportedly not placed Dembele on the transfer list, but are willing to let him leave before the window shuts on 1 September. The report also states that Championship side Blackburn Rovers are interested in signing Dembele.
Dembele to Blackburn?
Blackburn have lost both Ben Brereton Diaz and Bradley Dack so far this summer, with the pair joining Villarreal and Sunderland respectively, both on free transfers.
They have made three signings themselves - Sondre Tronstad from Vitesse Arnhem, Niall Ennis from Plymouth Argyle and Arnor Sigurdsson from CSKA Moscow (loan) - but are keen on adding Dembele to their forward line.
Blackburn finished seventh in the Championship last season, only missing out on the play-offs due to an inferior goal difference to Sunderland.
