LYLE TAYLOR’S dream of playing in top-flight football could become a reality, despite droves of fans from Scottish giants Celtic having taken to social media to protest about the Montserrat captain potential joining the Scottish champions.

The 30-year-old striker, released by Championship strugglers Charlton at the end of June because he’s desperate to compete at a higher level, has a clutch of admirers although no offers have been tabled.

Talks about a lucrative move to Istanbul-based Galastsaray have gone quiet, but that seemed highly unlikely as the journeyman has been kicking around lower leagues throughout his career and the Turkish team are familiar faces in the Champions League.

Promotion

Leeds United, who secured promotion to the English Premier League (EPL) as Championship title winners, have been tentatively linked with a move for the frontman. Manager Marcelo Bielsa is set for a board meeting this week with crunch transfer targets to be discussed as their goal is to reach the Champions League.

Former Charlton hitman Taylor, who bagged 11 Championship goals before March’s break because of the coronavirus pandemic, recently had representatives in discussions with Glasgow heavyweights Celtic and Rangers. However, Celtic fans were fuming on social media wlth strong protests about the possibly of Taylor signing for the Hoops.

Rangers is a more realistic move for the 2020-21 campaign as Rangers boss Steven Gerrard turned down managerless Championship side Bristol City to stay at Ibrox, and reiterated over the weekend that he is chasing a striker to add much-needed firepower to rival Celtic. But Gerrard is also eyeing up English hotshot Kemar Roofe, who has been a star with Anderlecht since moving to Belgium from West Bromwich Albion.

Potential

Taylor remains on the list of a number of EPL promotion-chasing sides including Swansea and WBA, although he won’t commit to putting pen to paper until he is guaranteed a potential chance to shine in the top flight next season. 

Championship play-off teams are favourites to add Taylor to their ranks to tackle the next campaign with Nottingham Forest his most likely destination if they are plying their trade in the EPL. But WBA, in pole position to win promotion to the top tier with one game to go, are also in the race to snap up the veteran forward.

There are a string of Championship sides biting at the bit to sign Taylor, but as a veteran he is more interested in a shot of playing club football at the highest level. And despite having never competed in the top tier he has been subjected to racial abuse on social media.

Taylor recently revealed to London-based talkSPORT: “About two weeks ago I had the police round my house taking a statement because of racial abuse I’d suffered on social media.

Thinking

“It used to get me to a point of me thinking ‘Why are they saying this? Why do they want to do this to me?’ It gets you down. It gets you sad, angry and frustrated. But now I think ‘I know for a fact you’d never, ever, ever say that to my face. So you’ll get what’s coming to you and you’ll get that the right way.’

“That’s why I do report what I report to the social media entities, but I’ve had so many messages back that say ‘these do not breach our community guidelines.’

He added about the global Black Lives Matter movement: “It’s nice that people are now sitting up and taking notice and taking in what’s actually going on. 

“Thank you for caring and let’s try and move this forward as a society together – white people, black people, Asian people, green people, blue people – everyone has to do this for it to actually take effect and become a permanent change.”