Celtic were handed a boost earlier this month as Japan decided not to call Kyogo Furuhashi up alongside teammates Reo Hatate and Daizen Maeda for the 2023 Asian Cup.
However, fellow centre-forward Hyeon-gyu Oh has been selected to feature for South Korea at the tournament and will be unavailable for the Hoops until the end of his country's involvement.
Kyogo is still searching for a return to the peak of his powers as the Japanese striker has only found the back of the net eight times in 22 Scottish Premiership appearances.
Last season, the 28-year-old plundered 27 goals in 31 league starts and averaged one strike every 87 minutes of action for the Glasgow giants.
His scoring frequency has dropped to one goal every 190 minutes of league football this term, which illustrates his drop-off in form since Brendan Rodgers arrived.
This, along with Oh's involvement at the Asian Cup, looks to have caused the club to want to dip into the market to add another number nine to their squad during the January transfer window.
Celtic transfer news – Joe Gelhardt
The Daily Mail have reported that Leeds United striker Joe Gelhardt is attracting interest from Scottish giants Celtic and Rangers this month.
Rodgers appears to be eyeing up a swoop to land the former Wigan prospect, who has struggled for game time with Daniel Farke's side so far this season.
They could face competition from England for the talented ace, though, as journalist Alan Nixon recently reported – via his Patreon – that Championship side Blackburn Rovers are also pursuing a move for him, alongside his teammate Charlie Cresswell.
However, the Daily Mail report does not reveal whether it would be a loan or a permanent deal for the English youngster, or whether or not the Whites are prepared to let him leave before the end of the window.
A permanent deal could be the way to go for the Hoops as it would allow them to bring him in as a long-term addition with the potential to develop over the years to come.
At the age of 21, Gelhardt is still in the infancy of his first-team career and has plenty of time left ahead of him to improve and grow as a player, which Celtic may not benefit from if they are only able to sign him on loan until the end of the current campaign.
With a long-term deal for the talented youngster, Rodgers could unearth the club's next version of Gary Hooper by securing a deal for the Leeds gem.
The former Hoops marksman, like Gelhardt, was a stocky and undersized centre-forward who made a name for himself through his prolific scoring ability in Scottish football.
Gary Hooper's record for Celtic
Celtic signed the English finisher from Scunthorpe United in the summer of 2010 and he went on to enjoy three fantastic years at Parkhead.
The 5 foot 9 attacker, who did not cut an imposing figure for opposition defences at the top end of the pitch, hit the ground running with 22 goals and nine assists in 36 appearances in all competitions.
That included a staggering return of 20 goals and nine assists in 26 Scottish Premiership appearances, which is more than one goal contribution per game on average.
Hooper followed that up with 29 goals and 11 assists in 50 matches in all competitions for the Hoops – including two goals and one assist in five Europa League outings.
His final campaign in Scotland ended with a sublime return of 31 goals and ten assists in 51 games for Celtic. He scored two goals in seven Champions League clashes and two goals in four qualifiers for the competition.
Hooper's haul of 20-plus goals in three consecutive seasons for the club was not matched until Odsonne Edouard achieved the same feat by 2021.
In total, the impressive ace plundered 82 goals and 30 assists in 137 appearances for the Scottish giants in all competitions. This means that the English ace averaged a goal or an assist every 1.22 matches.
He then sealed a permanent switch to Norwich City in England and went on to score 20 goals in 70 games for the Canaries, with six goals in 32 Premier League appearances.
During his time with Celtic, Hooper was a prolific scorer who also had the ability to bring his teammates into the game with a solid return of assists, despite his short and stocky build as a number nine.
The statistics that show why Celtic should sign Gelhardt
Rodgers could unearth a striker with similar qualities to the ex-Norwich star by signing Gelhardt, who also stands at 5 foot 9 with a stocky build.
At the age of 21, the Leeds youngster is far from the finished article and there is no guarantee that he will be an instant hit at Parkhead this season. However, if they can land him on a permanent basis then the potential is there for him to develop into Hooper 2.0.
Gelhardt has only made six appearances in the Championship for the Whites this season and spent the second half of the 2022/23 campaign on loan with Sunderland.
Appearances
18
Starts
16
Goals
Three
Assists
Three
Duel success rate
42%
As you can see from the table above, the former England U20 international struggled to provide consistent quality as a scorer or a creator for the Black Cats last term.
However, Gelhardt did show promise in his limited Premier League minutes with Leeds earlier in his career. He plundered two goals and six assists in 35 appearances, despite only six of those coming as a starter.
The Celtic target's record at youth level, however, is what Rodgers may be looking at as an indication that he could develop into a lethal scorer for the club.
Gelhardt scored five goals in five games for Wigan at U18 level and then went on to produce 20 goals and six assists in 31 outings for Leeds' U21s.
This means that the £14k-per-week marksman, whose movement was hailed as "impressive" by journalist Josh Bunting, racked up 25 goals and six assists in 36 youth team games before making a first-team breakthrough.
That is a return of one goal contribution every 1.16 matches on average, which is a very similar level of production in comparison to Hooper's time with Celtic.
Therefore, Rodgers could unearth the club's new prolific English marksman by striking a deal for Gelhardt and helping him to unlock his potential at first-team level.