Celtic is reportedly eyeing a permanent deal for Brighton’s Evan Ferguson, the 21-year-old Irish striker whose market value currently sits around €20 million.

The rise, the fall, and the loan that didn’t work

Ferguson burst onto the Premier League scene during the 2022-23 season, scoring 10 goals in what felt like an announcement to the football world. He was 18 at the time.

A season-long loan to AS Roma for 2025-26 was supposed to be the fix. It wasn’t. Ferguson scored just one league goal before the arrangement was cut short in January.

Why Celtic makes sense, and why it’s still risky

Celtic competes in European competition and fills a 60,000-seat stadium regularly. The club has a track record of taking players who’ve stalled at bigger clubs and turning them into contributors.

The risk runs in both directions. If Ferguson moves permanently and thrives, Brighton will have sold a player under contract until June 2029 at what could be a fraction of his eventual worth. Recent reports have also raised concerns about his mental resilience, and a continued struggle could further damage his confidence.

Celtic would be making a classic value play, routinely buying players in the single-digit millions and either riding their production in Glasgow or flipping them for significant profit. A permanent deal for Ferguson at or near his current valuation would represent one of Celtic’s bigger financial commitments.

Ferguson was signed by Brighton from Bohemians as a teenager. He turns 21 in October 2025, meaning he’s still firmly in the upside category for football age curves, with his Brighton contract running until June 2029.