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CELTIC outcast Amido Balde is subject of £1.5 million interest from SC Lokeren.

The Belgian outfit are weighing up a move to end the 23-year-old’s dismal spell at Parkhead.

Lokeren are on the hunt for a new striker after top-scorer Hamdi Harbaoui quit the club this week in a £1.5 million deal to join Qatar SC.

Club chiefs are willing to reinvest the entire sum on a new hitman and Balde is high on their list of potential replacements.

Officials at Lokeren have confirmed to Record Sport that the Celtic flop in on their radar and sources in Belgium believe a cash bid could be made over the weekend.

Lokeren may also try their luck by looking for a loan deal with view to purchase, but Parkhead chiefs would almost certainly accept an offer of £1.5 million, which would cover their outlay to Vitoria Guimaraes for the striker just over a year ago.

Balde has failed to make an impression since his move from Portugal and didn’t even feature in the travelling party for the midweek Champions League tie against Legia Warsaw.

In 20 appearances for previous boss Neil Lennon last term, the tall attacker scored just three goals and struggled badly for game time.

Now, with Teemu Pukki, Leigh Griffiths, Anthony Stokes and loan signing Jo Inge Berget looking to be ahead of Balde in Ronny Deila’s pecking order, the Guinea-Bissau’s disappointing time at the club could be coming to a quickfire end.

Celtic collected £1.2 million from Standard Liege for Tony Watt six days ago and another cash injection from the Jupiler League is set to arrive.