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NO AF MEASURES Forgotten Celtic star lands dream European transfer chance after stunning career revival following Parkhead nightmare
He’s been tracked by several European clubs as well as interest coming from England
Jonathon Moar

But after a spectacular career rival, this former Parkhead striker could be about to achieve his European dream.

Celtic made a splash in the transfer market in the lead up to the 2019/20 season, landing Christopher Jullien for £7million.

The likes of Fraser Forster, Greg Taylor and Jeremie Frimpong all arrived too as the Hoops went on to secure a ninth straight league title.

Not all of the transfer business worked out, however.

It was also that season that saw the arrival of the likes of Boli Bolingoli, Patryk Klimala and Ismaila Soro.

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And there was also the signing of a young Irish striker from Southampton who had just starred for the Republic of Ireland at the Uefa U-19 European Championships.

Jonathan Afolabi was snapped-up from the then-Premier League outfit on a free transfer, with the 19-year old thrilled to link-up with the Scottish champions.

But three years later, he left Celtic having failed to make a single first team appearance.

Instead, his time in Scottish football was largely spent out on loan, with spells in the Championship with Dunfermline, Dundee and Ayr as well as a stint in League One at Airdrieonians.

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At Dens Park, he helped fire the Dee to promotion with crucial strikes in their play-off run.

Afolabi was released by the Hoops in the summer of 2022 when his contract expired.

Speaking earlier this year, he admitted things could’ve worked out differently and took his share of the blame for it not happening for him in Glasgow.

He said: “After two years I think I knew I wasn’t going to make the first team, I had planned to get into the first team, that’s why I went there but there are very high expectations at a club like Celtic, they expect to win every game and you need to be at the top of your level to even have a sniff.

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“I read that Celtic was bad for a lot of young Irish players, us not breaking through but there are two sides to it, if the players don’t perform, they have no reason to put you into the first team. We had different pathways and we’re making our way now in different ways.

“I take responsibility for stuff I could have done better, been more professional, I didn’t do anything wrong as such but there were steps I needed to take to improve, if I had taken all of my opportunities it could have been a different story for me at Celtic, you have to be ready when it happens.

“I can’t say it was three wasted years, I learned the levels you need to be at, how professional you need to be, what hard work you need to put that Celtic shirt.”

After his Parkhead release, Afolabi decided to head back to Ireland and he hasn’t looked back.

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Moving back to his home city Dublin, he signed for League of Ireland Premier Division outfit Bohemians.

After a handful of appearances towards the end of the 2022 season, he’s been outstanding in 2023.

Afolabi found a prolific scoring streak and fired 20 goals in 40 matches across all competitions in the campaign just gone.

His stunning revival and incredible form saw him finish the league’s joint-top scorer with 15 goals and earned him a spot in the team of the year.

Afolabi also netted in the FAI Cup Final in front of a record-breaking crowd at the Aviva Stadium, but ended up on the losing side against Jon Daly’s St Patrick’s Athletic.

He even earned his first international call-up in September this year although didn’t make his debut.

It’s been a fantastic career turnaround for Afolabi and he’s attracting plenty of transfer interest.

And he could be headed for the top flight of a major European league.

According to the Irish Independent, Afolabi is the subject of a six-figure offer from Belgian top tier side KV Kortrijk.

It’s claimed they’ve bid around £175,000 for Afolabi, but they aren’t the only club to have made an offer.

While the report claims two other Belgian clubs are also monitoring the in-form frontman, Carlisle United are also said to have launched a bid for him.

The English League One strugglers have just been taken over by American investors, who have targeted getting the club up the divisions.

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A move to Kortrijk would see Afolabi link up with a couple of familiar names to Scottish football fans.

Former Rangers winger Sheyi Ojo is on loan there from Cardiff City, while ex-Kilmarnock loanee Ryan Alebiosu is at the club too.

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They could do with a boost as they currently sit rock-bottom of the Belgian Pro League.

Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page.