Celtic had to resort to exploring the free agent market for a new centre-forward after they failed to sign one in the last summer transfer window for Brenden Rodgers.

Despite losing Kyogo Furuhashi in January and Adam Idah in the summer, the Hoops were unable to bring in a natural number nine before last September's deadline.

The day after the deadline, the Parkhead giants swooped to bring Kelechi Iheanacho in on a free transfer one day after Sevilla terminated his contract with the Spanish side.

Iheanacho only made 24 appearances in all competitions for the club in the 2025/26 campaign, as he sustained multiple significant hamstring injury, but he scored nine goals in those matches.

The Nigeria international helped Martin O'Neill's side to win the Scottish Premiership title and the SFA Cup, which is why he can be considered a successful signing for the Hoops.

Celtic are in talks to sign new centre-forward

Iheanacho, who scored in the SFA Cup final against Dunfermline last month, is currently set to become a free agent at the end of June, but the club have an option to extend his deal by a further 12 months.

Whilst it remains to be seen whether or not the Premiership champions will look to keep him at Parkhead, they are now eyeing a new striker who would be an even better option for next season.

According to Sky Sports Switzerland, Celtic are interested in a deal to sign FC Aarau centre-forward Elias Filet in the upcoming summer transfer window.

The report claims that the Hoops are in talks with the player's camp about a potential move to Parkhead to bolster O'Neill's options in the number nine position.

It states that they held a video call with his agent on Tuesday and that they are now pushing to agree personal terms with the striker before they decide to negotiate a transfer fee with the Super League outfit.

Lorient and Genk are also said to be keen on a deal for the 24-year-old marksman ahead of next season, which suggests that it will not be a straightforward deal for Celtic to get over the line.

Why Elias Filet would be better than Kelechi Iheanacho for Celtic

One of the aforementioned issues that the Hoops had with Iheanacho this season was that he was rarely available to lead the line for them, starting four out of 38 games in the Premiership.

The 29-year-old forward has not played more than 26 times in a season since the 2022/23 campaign and has not hit double figures in a league season since the 20/21 term for Leicester City in the Premier League.

Filet, meanwhile, played 35 times for Aarau, starting 30 matches, as they won promotion to the Swiss Super League this season, and he caught the eye with his form in front of goal.

The French marksman fired in 20 goals for Aarau in their promotion-winning campaign, 15 more league goals than Iheanacho managed for Celtic, and added five assists on top of that.

His form in Switzerland, for a team that competed at the top end of the table, shows that he can score goals week-in-week-out in a team that is under pressure to win consistently, which suggests that he would fit in well under pressure at Parkhead.

Iheanacho's lack of game time and goals in recent years does not suggest that he is as likely as Filet to go and score 20 or more goals in all competitions for the Hoops in the 2026/27 campaign.

Their respective aerial duel success rates and number of duels won per game also suggest that the Frenchman would be a better option than Iheanacho because of the physicality that he can offer at the top end of the pitch.

Filet has the quality and physicality to be a focal point up front for Celtic, as he can dominate opposition centre-backs in duels, which means that he could suit the rough and tumble of the Premiership.

Whilst it remains to be seen if he can step up to the Premiership after playing in the second tier in Switzerland, his statistics and lack of injuries suggest that he has the potential to be a much better centre-forward option than Iheanacho for the Hoops next season.