Celtic are finalising their plans to enter the transfer market in January to sign a forward amid reports they are preparing an offer for Brondby striker Mathias Kvistgaarden.

Manager Brendan Rodgers is keen to reinforce that area of the pitch due to the prospect of losing top scorer Kyogo Furuhashi, fellow hitman Oh Hyeon-gyu and forward Daizen Maeda at the start of next year due to their potential participation in the Asian Cup. Furuhashi and Maeda are expected to be called up by Japan manager Hajime Moriyasu, while Oh is part of Jurgen Klinsmann’s South Korea set-up.

The tournament in Qatar, which begins on January 13 and finishes on February 10, coincides with Celtic’s return to domestic action after the winter break on January 20. With Furuhashi, Oh and Maeda being Celtic’s principal options in the central striking role, Rodgers does not want to be left short in that area of the pitch, while also wanting to have further options in attack. The defending Premiership champions currently lead nearest rivals Rangers by eight points but could be without their forward trio for a Scottish Cup fourth-round tie and league matches against Ross County, Hibs, Aberdeen and Kilmarnock, depending on how far Japan and South Korea progress in the tournament.

Mathias Kvistgaarden plays for Brondby and is a Denmark Under-21 internationalist.

Kvistgaarden, a 21-year-old striker who has scored five league goals in 15 appearances for Brondby, was linked with Celtic last summer and Football Scotland claims that the Parkhead outfit are mulling over a move for the Denmark Under-21 internationalist. Clubs in Germany are also reported to be monitoring Kvistgaarden, with an asking price believed to be in the region of £7million. Bologna forward Sydney van Hooijdonk – son of former Celtic striker Pierre van Hooijdonk – is another name that has been linked with Celtic. Should they not enter the transfer market, then Liel Abada or James Forrest – natural wide players – could be asked to fill the striking role in an emergency.

Regardless of whether Celtic’s interest in Kvistgaarden comes to fruition, Rodgers has made no secret of his desire for another forward. Speaking earlier this month, the Celtic boss admitted he was aware of the situation regarding his Asian players. “It is something you have to plan forward for and it was one of the first things we spoke about coming in here,” Rodgers said on November 11. “It’s not all about the present, it’s about looking forward to each window. We have that in hand and we know what our ideas are for that. [When it comes to strikers] our first look is always from inside. Is there anyone in the academy base we feel can step in and have a chance to play? The first look is never outside, it has to be from within. You never know, you might have a £15 or £20 million player in your academy. We assess that, speak to the academy coaches and we observe them a lot anyway. Then if it’s the case where it’s not inside then of course we have to look outside. It’s then about strategy. So you can either bring one in, buy one, or you can look at a loan market. It’s always about availability and what you can afford as well.”

Rodgers is expected to be backed by the Celtic board in January but there is also a desire to trim back a senior squad that is in excess of 35 senior players. Benjamin Siegrist, Yuki Kobayashi, James McCarthy, Kwon Hyeok-kyu, Marco Tilio and Mikey Johnston have barely been used this season, while Adam Montgomery, Liam Shaw, Yosuke Ideguchi, Sead Haksabanovic and Johnny Kenny remain out on loan.

Celtic finalise January transfer plans amid Mathias Kvistgaarden link as striker search and squad trim take priority