Celtic are set to continue trimming their squad ahead of the new season, and have made a trio available this summer as they look to hand Brendan Rodgers a side capable of competing in the Champions League next season.
It has not been quite the summer many Celtic fans envisioned following their Scottish Premiership and Cup double last season, with the club having done little more than what was necessary so far.
Rodgers’ side have confirmed the arrival of one former Premier League winner to replace another, with Kasper Schmeichel arriving on a one-year-deal in place of the retired Joe Hart.
They have also added another goalkeeper to their ranks, with Finnish shot-stopper Viljami Sinisalo arriving from Aston Villa. The 22-year-old is considered very much one for the future at Celtic Park.
Meanwhile, the rest of the summer has seen the Bhoys chasing permanent deals for their successful loanees and trimming their squad, with Hyeon-gyu Oh and Sead Haksabanovic both having departed. One player who looks set to arrive is Paulo Bernardo, with Rodgers admitting after the 4-1 thrashing of Chelsea in pre-season that he “hopes” to have the Portuguese midfielder among his ranks sooner rather than later.
“I hope so. You want to have them in as soon as you possibly can. Their current group is working very hard in their own right and we’ll improve the squad over the course of the window.”
As things stand though, their focus is on outgoings and three players have been put up for sale in a bid to trim the squad.
£30,000 a week trio put up for sale
That comes as Football Insider reveal that three Celtic defenders are allowed to leave this summer, either on loan or permanently before the end of the transfer window.
Fringe pair Gustaf Lagerbielke and Yuki Kobayashi are both deemed surplus to requirements 12 months on from their arrivals, with the latter failing to make an appearance across the 2023/24 campaign for Rodgers’ side.
Lagerbielke managed 10 appearances, but those appearances totalled just over 500 minutes across all competitions, and he is clearly not favoured by the Celtic boss.
Perhaps most surprisingly, fellow centre-back Stephen Welsh has also been put up for sale, and the report claims that “loan and permanent bids will be accepted for the three players” as Celtic look to overhaul the heart of their defence amid links to Burnley’s Dara O’Shea.
| Appearances for Celtic 23/24 | |||
| Stephen Welsh | Yuki Kobayashi | Gustaf Lagerbielke | |
| Appearances | 14 | 0 | 10 |
| Goals/Assists | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Yellow Cards | 1 | 0 | 1 |
The trio’s departures would be a financial boost for the Hoops, with the defenders taking home more than £30,000-a-week as things stand.
But it will likely leave Celtic needing reinforcements ahead of the new season, with the exits leaving just Cameron Carter-Vickers, Liam Scales and Maik Nawrocki as options in the heart of the defence. Should they leave, Celtic fans may see their own transfer business heat up between now and deadline day.
