‘Leicester or Leeds more likely for Edouard than Arsenal’ – Nicholas not expecting Gunners to land Celtic striker

Odsonne Edouard is unlikely to end up at Arsenal if he does head for the exits at Celtic, claims Charlie Nicholas, with Leicester or Leeds considered to be more suitable landing spots.

The French forward continues to generate interest with his efforts in Scotland, with a hat-trick netted in the opening rounds of Premiership fixtures in 2020-21.

Edouard has proved to be a prolific source of goals for Celtic since making a move from Paris Saint-Germain and at 22 years of age is expected to have a bright future ahead of him.

Many have suggested that the Premier League could be his next port of call, with leading sides in England closely monitoring his progress.

Nicholas has previously talked up a potential switch to Emirates Stadium, with Arsenal still waiting to discover whether Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will be committing to a new contract.

The former Celtic and Gunners forward has, however, changed his tune and now believes that a transfer to the King Power Stadium or Elland Road could be made ahead of a move to north London.

Nicholas told Express Sport: "I know Edouard is still under contract but the player still holds all the power.

"If he decides he wants to leave then it will happen, that has been shown with Moussa Dembele, Virgil van Dijk and Kieran Tierney in the past.

"For Edouard to leave I do think it would take a sizeable fee, whether that is £25 million or £30 million.

"People argue he is worth more than Tierney because he is a striker and he gets goals but the problem is that the market has changed dramatically post-Covid-19.

"I don't see Arsenal making a move for him but I could see Everton, West Bromwich Albion, Leeds United or Leicester City making bids.

"Leicester is the one of interest because Brendan Rodgers rates him so highly and was the one who signed him for Celtic.

"He knows he can trust Edouard to play the way he wants.

"That is important because I don't see him fitting into an Everton or a Newcastle, but he might suit a Leeds United and would also do well at Leicester.

"He has to go to a club that suits his style because he knows that when he does leave and goes to the Premier League he is probably walking into a £100,000-a-week contract.

"They have six weeks, which is a long time, to wait until the transfer window closes.

"If they can keep him then he is key to Celtic winning 10 and it is no secret that winning this league is everything to the club.

"If Edouard wants to leave then it will happen."