Celtic head coach Brendan Rodgers will surely be hoping to end the current summer transfer window without losing any of his key performers.
The club's Player of the Year, Matt O'Riley, has already been linked with an exit from Parkhead amid reported interest from a huge European club.
Atletico Madrid are reportedly interested in a deal to sign the Danish magician, who was not selected by his country for the European Championship, and they have been told that any deal would cost them €40m (£33.7m).
The former MK Dons star may not be the only player potentially on his way out of Glasgow, however, as one of the manager's star defenders has attracted interest from down south.
Premier League teams circling around Celtic star
According to HITC, three teams from the Premier League have emerged as suitors for Hoops central defender Cameron Carter-Vickers this summer.
The report claims that West Ham United, Fulham, and newly-promoted side Ipswich Town are all keen on a deal to sign the former Tottenham Hotspur enforcer.
It states that they are all looking to bolster their options at the back ahead of the 2024/25 campaign and that the USA international is one of their names on their transfer lists, although it does not reveal how high up he is on their respective shortlists.
HITC adds that Rodgers, who hailed Carter-Vickers as an "absolute rock" earlier this year, has told the board that he wants to keep hold of the USMNT star.
The Northern Irish head coach is now facing a repeat of the disaster that happened with the sale of Carl Starfelt last summer, as the Swedish colossus moved on and the club wasted millions in an attempt to replace him.
Celtic's Carl Starfelt disaster
After the 29-year-old star had played 28 matches in the Scottish Premiership during the 2022/23 campaign, the Hoops cashed in on him for a fee of around €5m (£4.2m) to Spanish side Celta Vigo.
Rodgers then dipped into the market to sign Gustaf Lagerbielke from Elfsborg for a reported fee of £3m, Polish defender Maik Nawrocki from Legia Warsaw for £4.3m, and Nat Phillips on a short-term loan deal from Liverpool.
Lagerbielke is set to earn roughly £728k in wages for the season and Nawrocki is due to pocket £624k, which takes their cost for the year to £3.72m and £4.92m respectively, whilst it remains unknown as to how much of Phillips' wages were covered by the club.
Appearances
7
10
6
Starts
4
7
3
Clean sheets
3
0
0
Cost per start
£932k
£703k
Unknown
As you can see in the table above, the central defenders signed to replace Starfelt were barely used in the Premiership and cost the Hoops a fortune per start, which shows how much of a disaster the recruitment work done last summer was.
Liam Scales, who had returned from a loan spell from Aberdeen, profited from the club's failure to recruit defenders Rodgers trusted to play week-in-week-out, as he ended the season with 33 league starts.
Kelleher signs, £8m star bought: What Rodgers' dream Celtic XI could be
A look at what the Hoops team could be next season if they have a successful summer transfer window.
ByDan EmeryJun 15, 2024
Therefore, the manager must now avoid a repeat of that situation with Carter-Vickers, who was named in the PFA Scotland Team of the Year, as the Hoops' recent track record does not suggest that they are likely to efficiently replace him in the transfer market.