The Mathias Kvistgaarden journey to destination Celtic takes in sub snub and soaring £12m price tag
The Hoops are still in the fight to land the Danish sensation but the fee is rocketing after a stunning season in his homeland
Danish rising star Mathias Kvistgaarden is making a name for himself for losing defenders in the box.
But there was a time he even managed to evade the attention of his manager.
Celtic are weighing up a blockbuster £12m bid for the Brondby superstar who is rated as one of the hottest properties in the Superliga.
The 23-year-old is attracting attention from all over the continent with West Ham United the latest to keep tabs, along with the likes of Eintracht Frankfurt.
But there was a time when the kid wasn't quite so noticeable – such as when he was subbed by his boss by MISTAKE.
The frontman was still a teenager coming through the ranks when his gaffer Niels Fredericksen wanted to make some changes to his team.
Kvistgaarden saw his number going up so trudged off and took his place on the bench – only for his manager to realise soon after they'd hooked the WRONG player.
It was too late to sort out the mix up with the subs board but it wouldn't be long before the hitman started clocking up impressive numbers for the side – and plenty of teams started to notice.
Kvistgaarden has long been on the radar of Hoops scouts, who made an initial approach last summer after a year of tracking.
Back then the £9m fee seemed a bit steep for a youngster with a lot still to prove and it wasn't any cheaper when they were back sniffing in January after Kyogo headed to Rennes.
But he's since kicked on again and enjoyed an even more prolific campaign in his homeland – blasting 23 goals in 38 games to earn a call up for the Denmark national side.
Celts will be hoping keeper Kasper Schmeichel will be bending his ear in between the clashes between Northern Ireland and Lithuania, while ex-Hoops ace Matt O'Riley could also put in a word or two.
Hoops fans have been hearing about this guy for about two years and they already have their heart set on the big striker heading to Scotland.
It's little wonder. Kvistgaarden has been more of a slow burner than an overnight sensation in his homeland but he's now poised to secure his club a record return after seemingly saying his goodbyes to the fans at the end of the season.
Former boss Fredricksen admitted he was caught off guard when the kid broke through to his first team four years ago.
But he's no longer surprised there's huge interest in his former charge.
When Kvistgaarden barged his way into the team in 2022, Fredericksen said: 'It was a big surprise for me. Kvistgaarden did significantly better than I would have dared to hope for.
'It was of course nice and fantastic, but that's what he has done. In the playoffs he proved to be our sharpest striker and will probably end up as our top scorer.
'I didn't see it coming, but hats off to Kvistgaarden. He's taken the Superliga by storm. He works really hard and is a tough striker to play against defenders.
'He has good finishing skills and a good head game, and we actually knew that. But he's taken the step very quickly and he's done it well. It's great.'
Former Brondby star David Boysen had a trial at Celtic as a kid but didn't make the cut.
But he's convinced Kvistgaarden has what it takes to reach the very top.
He said: 'He has everything that is needed – hard work, deep running, determination and hunger. He keeps going and going, and he tops that off by scoring the goals that a striker should score.
'Now he is among the top scorers, and if he can continue with that, it will be top level, and he has so many skills."
It's no surprise Celtic are in the hunt – but they will need to come up with the right number.
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