CELTIC have had their fair share of talented players from Sweden over the years, including arguably their greatest ever signing – Henrik Larsson.
The Parkhead club have been represented by a number of Swedish internationals, including Magnus Hedman, Daniel Majstorivic, Freddie Ljunberg, Johann Mjallby, Mikael Lustig, John Guidetti and of course, the King of Kings.
Benjamin Nygren is a main target for Celtic this summer[/caption]
He’s one of Sweden’s rising stars[/caption]
And even more recently they had Carl Starfelt donning the Hoops, while Gustaf Lagerbielke is still contracted with the club even if his future being up in the air following his loan spell at FC Twente.
That makes 10 Swedish stars in total who have played for the Scottish side – but Brendan Rodgers could make that 11 this summer…
SunSport exclusively revealed this week that the Northern Irishman is eyeing a cut-price move for Nordsjaelland attacker Benjamin Nygren.
Nygren, 23, is out of contract at the end of this year and could be available for a cut-price fee of £2million.
And SunSport understands the Scottish champions have now launched an official approach to sign him, however, they face serious competition from clubs across Europe.
But why are so many clubs interested in the 23-year-old and what could he bring to Parkhead?
Here, SunSport will give you a rundown of what fans can expect from the Swede should he choose Celtic as his next club, with key facts from his career to date.
Versatile forward
Despite only being 23, Nygren has already been deployed in a number of positions across the pitch.
The gifted attacker regularly swaps between the left and right winger role for Nordsjaelland, but he’s also excelled in the No10 position and is no stranger to playing up front.
That makes him the perfect option for Rodgers who’s currently on the hunt for a new winger and striker this summer, and doesn’t have an out-and-out attacking midfielder in his squad.
International experience
Nygren has enjoyed a lighting start to his international career for Sweden, having scored two in just four caps.
He was handed his debut in a late cameo against Luxembourg as Sweden lost 1-0, but the national team have won every game that the 23-year-old has started.
Unlike club level, Nygren has found himself being deployed as a forward – usually the second striker – with Aleksander Isak, Anthony Elanga or Jordan Larsson, son of Hoops legend Henrik, playing alongside him so far.
He scored his first goal for Sweden in a 5-1 win over Northern Ireland, before making it two this month with a wonder strike against Hungary.
Wanted by European giants
Nygren was on the radar of some of Europe’s biggest clubs before he even signed his first professional contract.
He was just 16 at the time and had the world at his feet, with Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan all believed to be interested.
But having already made his senior debut for his hometown team IFK Goteborg, Nygren chose first team opportunities and went on to score six goals in 15 appearances, before finally sealing his exit to join Belgian side Genk in 2019.
Benjamin Nygren’s career
2013 (youth level) – 2019: IFK Goteborg – 15 games (six goals, five assists)
2019 – 2022: Genk – seven games (one goal)
2020 – 2022: Heerenveen (loan) – 51 games (seven goals, six assists)
2022 –: Nordsjaelland – 107 games (35 goals, eight assists)
Dream move at 17-years-old turns sour
Even if Celtic spent £2m on him this summer, it still won’t be the biggest transfer fee a club has spent on him.
When Nygren left Goteborg to join Genk at the age of 17, he left for a record fee of £3m.
But the teenager only made seven first team appearances for the club and was shipped out on loan to Heerenveen for two seasons instead, before calling it a day in Belgium to head to Denmark in 2021.
He hoped to at least kick-start his career in the Netherlands when he left on loan but he found himself out of favour in the Eredivisie in his second campaign, despite being a key player for the team in his debut season.
He started just three league games for the club in the 2021/22 season, before the spell was cut short by Genk in January 2022 to allow him to leave for Nordsjaelland.
Career rise at Nordsjaelland
Nygren in action for Nordsjaelland[/caption]
The Danish outfit have an impressive track record of developing and improving young players.
You only need to ask Rangers midfielder Mohamed Diomande, who was a team-mate of Nygren at Nordsjaelland.
Mohammed Kudus, Mikkel Damsgaard, Simon Adingra and Stanislav Lobotka are just a few examples of players who have enjoyed meteoric rises in football following a stint in Farum – and there are many more.
Nygren could now be the latest player to head to a top European club after a standout season in Denmark.
He went from being out-of-favour in Belgium to a raw talent in the Netherlands, and now he’s in the form of his life having just enjoyed a standout season with 16 goals and four assists – earning his senior international chance.
Celtic have scouted him in recent months during his impressive run of form.
But whatever happens this summer, Nygren will definitely be on the hunt for a new club at the end of the year at the very latest as he’s informed Nordsjaelland he won’t sign a new deal, with the Danes now keen to cash in on him in the coming weeks.
Diomande was one of his team-mates at Nordsjaelland[/caption]
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