Odsonne Edouard would be better off in Serie A than the Premier League, says Marco Negri

Marco Negri hopes Odsonne Edouard will end up in Italy rather than the English Premier League.

The Celtic striker has been linked with Leicester City, Arsenal and West Ham ahead of the close of the January transfer window tomorrow.

That comes on top of interest from both AC Milan and Juventus last month, the Serie A giants having been impressed by the potential of a player who recently became France’s highest-ever scorer at Under-21 level with 15 goals in 10 games.

However, while meeting the asking price would not be an issue for any of the clubs concerned, the Hoops may decide not to sell – even if a £20-million-plus offers comes in at the last minute.

Having seen him strike up a lethal partnership with Leigh Griffiths, they could instead defer any decision on his future until the summer.

At that point, the door would be open for the Italians to come back in once again, assuming they were still in the market for a striker.

Negri, who starred for Rangers at the end of the 1990s and is now a pundit in his homeland said: “I would like to see Edouard in Serie A one day, rather than England.

“For me, he looks a classic modern striker.

“He has the perfect physique, good technique and his movement is very clever.

“At the same time, I believe he could still learn a lot from playing with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus, or Milan’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

“These are players who are great stars, the best in the world. So it would be a real opportunity for him, and one not to be wasted.

“I say that, even though I know he enjoys a lot of success in Scotland, where he has already won many honours with Celtic.”

Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo with the unmistakable AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the background

Milan, who are the Serie A pacesetters this season, are viewed as the more likely buyers by sources in Italy.

“Of the two clubs he has been linked with from my country, I believe they would probably be the better option,” said Negri, who finished his playing career with Perugia.

“They are building a new side for the future, so there would be a possibility to be a part of something really big.”