Celtic should match Sunderland’s £4m asking price for young hotshot Maja

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Sunderland have set their asking price for in-demand striker Josh Maja at £4m this month, according to the Sun.

Maja is out of contract at the end of the season and the Black Cats face the prospect of losing him for minimal compensation then, which apparently means they are happy to engineer a deal before this month’s window shuts.

The player himself would reportedly prefer to see out the season at the Stadium of Light, so there is the prospect that a potential suitor would have to loan him back until the end of the current campaign.

And there are no shortage of potential buyers, with Celtic reportedly battling against Stuttgart, Cologne, Cardiff and Wolfsburg for his services.

But given the loanees that Celtic have brought in this month – and the hope that Leight Griffiths can come back into the fold at some point – not having Maja until the start of next season need not deter Brendan Rodgers from making a bid.

And £4m looks a reasonable asking price for a player who looks set to be a very exciting player indeed; one who can handle the demands of scoring goals for a historic club at his tender age and is only going to get better.

The wage packages on offer in the Bundesliga may eventually price out Celtic, but the initial asking price should pose no problems at its current level.