Marseille break their silence over Celtic’s Moussa Dembele as French giants admit they are monitoring striker

MARSEILLE have broken their silence on big-money target Moussa Dembele and admitted they are monitoring the Celtic hitman.

The Hoops hitman, 21, has been linked with the cream of top European clubs with price tags ranging from £20million to almost double that.

Dembele, who is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury, enjoyed a sensational opening season with the Champions after netting 32 goals in all competitions.

Moneybags Marseille are desperate to challenge PSG in Ligue 1 this season and have long been linked with Dembele.

And the French giants' president Jacques-Henri Eyraud finally confirmed the 21-year-old is on their list.

He said: "Moussa Dembele is a young player with power and speed and he is interesting.

"It's no secret that we are actively looking for a striker.

"It's a difficult area to get players.

Keep up to date with all the latest done deals and gossip with our live transfer blog

"I try to avoid talking for the manager or the Sporting Director when it comes to players, but I have obviously have my own ideas.

"All I can say is that he is an interesting name."

Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United and Everton have all be monitoring the young Frenchman's progress since he moved north of the border from Fulham last year.

It was claimed last month that Dembele would prefer to move to the Premier League than make the return to him homeland.

Yet Marseille hope the attacker could be tempted if presented with an attractive offer.

The Ligue 1 heavyweights are also interested in AWOL Chelsea striker Diego Costa, but will not pay the Blues' reported £50m asking price.