Celtic scout John Park made another personal check on Maritimo striker Baba Diawara on Sunday.

STV has learned Park took in Maritimo’s 1-0 loss to Benfica on Sunday evening and held talks with the club’s president, Carlos Pereira.

Diawara missed out on a move to Glasgow in the summer transfer window but is back in Neil Lennon’s sights, as he looks to add to his forward options in January.

Celtic have maintained their interest since the collapse of the deal and the Portuguese club say there is a chance he could move to the Scottish Premier League at the second time of asking.

“There have been informal talks since September,” Maritimo’s financial director, Sanchoz Freitas, told STV.

“The decision to sell Diawara will rest solely with the president. As far as I am aware, there has been no fresh offer from Celtic.

“I understand Celtic scout John Park spoke with our president at the game yesterday.”

Diawara came close to signing for Celtic back in August, with Maritimo saying the deal had collapsed at the last minute because of “visa issues”.

No application was made to the Scottish FA seeking a work permit endorsement for the player at that time and, if Celtic were to step up their interest again, they would be required to go before an appeals panel.

Since the collapse of the deal in August, the Senegalese has gone on to score 12 goals in 14 games for Maritimo, attracting subsequent interest from other European clubs.