Ligue 2 club Toulouse have confirmed the signing of Ivory Coast youth international Vakoun Bayo on a season-long loan from Celtic.
Bayo will be hoping to secure regular first-team action in France after struggling for opportunities in Neil Lennon's team since he moved to Scotland from Dunajska Streda on a four-year contract in 2019.
Since his arrival from Slovakia in January 2019, the 23-year-old played just nine games in the Scottish Premiership for the Bhoys.
He joins Patrice Garande's side as their fourth summer signing, and he will be aiming to help them stage an immediate return to Ligue 1 following their relegation last season.
The transfer connects Bayo with compatriots Max Gradel, Ibrahima Sangare, DR Congo's Ndombe Mubele, Cameroon's Stephane Zobo and Guinea's Issiaga Sylla at Stadium de Toulouse.
Toulouse have the option to make the loan deal permanent should the Ivorian striker impress in the 2020-21 season.
“Toulouse Football Club is strengthening its offensive sector. Ivorian U23 international, striker Vakoun Bayo committed this Wednesday with the club of the Pink City, where he is on loan for a season with an option to buy,” the club statement read.
“The Toulouse Football Club and all of its supporters welcome Vakoun Bayo on the banks of the Garonne!”
Born in Daloa - a city in the western part of Ivory Coast, Bayo started his football career at a local club Stade d'Abidjan before switching to Tunisia.
He joined Etoile du Sahel in 2015 and spent two years at the club where he won the Tunisian Ligue 1 title in his debut campaign before departing in 2017.
A year later, Bayo completed his first move to Europe to team up with Slovak side Dunajska Streda on a free transfer.
The 23-year-old spent less than a year in Slovakia and he returned 14 goals in 25 Super Liga outings across two seasons.
Bayo has two made appearances for Ivory Coast and he was also part of the country’s U23 set-up that finished second at the 2019 Africa U23 Cup of Nations in Egypt.
In October 2019, he came off the bench in an African Cup of Nations qualifier against the Central African Republic to make his debut for the Elephants.
