Heinz will cost you, Celtic are warned

CELTIC have been warned the value of Marek Heinz has doubled following his success with the Czech Republic at Euro 2004.

The 26-year-old striker has attracted the attention of Hoops boss Martin O’Neill as he continues his search for a replacement for Henrik Larsson.

Heinz looks set to leave Banik Ostrava this summer and the Scottish champions are one of five clubs who have made enquiries about the player.

Ostrava have yet to receive an official offer but he has seen his stock rise thanks to his displays at Euro 2004, which helped the Czech Republic progress to the semi-finals.

Heinz was mostly used as a substitute by Karel Bruckner but netted against Latvia before his superb left-footed free-kick contributed to Germany’s exit from the tournament.

That one moment of class could now mean the difference between Celtic snapping him up for around stg£1m before he made the trip to Portugal to paying double that price if they now decide to back up their interest with a concrete offer.

Ostrava director Dalibor Zaruba said: “We know of five clubs who are interested in Marek and Celtic are one of them. There is also interest from Germany, Portugal and some clubs in Italy but there is no official offer on the table yet.

“Before the European Championships, the price we would be looking for would have been approximately stg£1m (50m Czech Koruny). That price is now double.”

Heinz endured an unhappy spell in Germany with Hamburg and Arminia Bielefeld and is unlikely to opt for a return to the Bundesliga.

The lure of Champions League football means he would consider a move to Scotland to either half of the Old Firm although Rangers have not made any contact with his agent. The Ibrox side snapped up Dundee striker Nacho Novo earlier today - Alex McLeish‘s sixth signing of the season.

However, Zaruba believes Heinz could snub a move to Parkhead in favour of a warmer climate.