Odsonne Edouard says focus is 100% on Celtic after Napoli link

Odsonne Edouard, the Ladbrokes Premiership Player of the Month for August, has been linked with Napoli. Picture: Craig Foy/SNS

The 21-year-old striker’s stock has continued to rise throughout European football on the back of some stellar performances for both Celtic and the French under-21 national team so far this season.

Napoli are the latest club to be credited with a serious interest in Edouard who has previously been linked with Monaco, Lyon and Borussia Dortmund.

Edouard became Celtic’s all-time record signing when they paid Paris Saint-Germain  £9 million for him last summer on the back of a successful season-long loan.

He has now scored 40 goals in 93 appearances for Celtic and is inevitably being regarded as the next player to potentially leave the club for a major profit, following the route taken in recent years by equally shrewd signings Virgil van Dijk, Victor Wanyama and Moussa Dembele.

But Edouard, who is under contract at Celtic until 2022, is in no hurry to map out his future beyond his current desire for further success with Neil Lennon’s squad.

“Each player has his own career, his own path,” said Edouard. “As far as I’m concerned, at the moment I am here, I’ve got a long contract, I’m really enjoying what I’m doing. So I just want to keep making sure I enjoy playing for Celtic and then we’ll see what happens. There is no plan, if you like.”

Edouard was speaking as he received the Ladbrokes Premiership Player of the Month award for August in recognition of his eye-catching start to the season. He has scored six times in 12 competitive appearances, including a goal in the 2-0 win over Rangers at Ibrox earlier this month. He has also netted two doubles for France U21, against Albania and Czech Republic.

While clearly unfazed by interest from other clubs, he admits he regards it as validation of his form for Celtic.

“Of course, you do pay attention to the speculation because it’s a sign that you’re playing well,” he added.

“That’s important. But, again, at the moment I’m 100 per cent focused on Celtic. There is a long season ahead, so the priority has to be that you concentrate on what you do now, not what may happen in the future.”