Celtic have had an approach for Danish striker Mathias Kvistgaarden rebuffed by Brondby, who are determined to hang on to the youngster.
According to Danish news outlet BT, the Scottish Premiership champions tabled a bid worth DKK 35 million last week, but it was promptly rejected by their Brondby.
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers was spearheading the quest to land Kvistgaarden this summer and indicated the club’s preparedness to increase their offer for the youngster.
However, Brondby showed no willingness to negotiate a fee for the 21-year-old centre-forward, who is regarded as a pivotal part of their plans for the season.
Major League Soccer club Houston Dynamo were another side vying for Kvistgaarden’s signature, but they got the same response as Celtic – ‘not for sale’.
The Danish sharpshooter came through the youth ranks at Brondby before becoming a part of the first team set-up in 2021.
He scored 31 times and provided a further 11 assists in 45 appearances for the under-19s, which forced the club to fast-track his integration into the senior side.
Kvistgaarden scored just once in six top-flight games in his debut season but put himself on the map last term after scoring ten times in 37 appearances.
His performances convinced Brondby to tie him to a long-term contract that runs until 2027, and the club are determined for him to continue his meteoric rise to prominence under their watchful eye.
Brondby are reluctant to part ways with Kvistgaarden as they believe he can play a massive role for the club this season and would be worth much more than Celtic’s current offer next year.
The Danish side are determined to improve on their sixth-place finish from last season and are currently sitting third on the Superliga rankings after picking up four wins from their first six games.
Kvistgaarden is already off the mark for the campaign, grabbing a goal and two assists, and Celtic will have to look elsewhere for striking reinforcements this summer.
