The summer transfer window officially slams shut on Friday of next week and this means that Celtic still have a bit of time left to complete their business.
It also means, however, that they are still at risk of losing some of their top talent. In fact, Sky Sports reports that Brighton & Hove Albion have made an offer to sign Matt O'Riley from the Hoops.
The Denmark international produced 18 goals and 13 assists in the Scottish Premiership for Brendan Rodgers last season, and should be a player the club hope to keep hold of beyond the deadline.
However, whilst O'Riley may yet stay, there is one talented central midfield player who does appear set to move on from Glasgow this month.
Celtic set to lose midfield starlet
According to Football Insider, teenage midfielder Daniel Kelly travelled down south on Monday to complete a medical with Championship side Millwall.
He had already agreed a pre-contract with the English side, as his deal with Celtic is due to expire at the end of December, and the transfer is poised to be pushed forward to the current window.
The report claims that the two clubs agreed a deal to make the move permanent now, which allows Kelly to go and join his new team immediately.
Rodgers had left the midfielder out of his first-team squad during pre-season after the 18-year-old gem had rejected a new contract at Parkhead, and the Northern Irish boss could now forget all about him by swooping to sign another young starlet in that position.
Celtic must swoop for £10m star
The Scottish Sun recently reported that Celtic are interested in signing Augsburg midfielder Arne Engels to bolster their options in the middle of the park.
It was claimed that the Hoops are chasing a deal for the Bundesliga wonderkid and that it would take a club-record fee of £10m to sign the Belgian whiz.
He is only two years older than Kelly, at 20, and this means that the Bhoys target would come in as a potential replacement for the Scottish talent, as he is another emerging midfielder who could be a long-term option for Rodgers.
Appearances
4
32
Starts
0
13
Goals
1
3
Big chances created
0
1
Assists
0
2
Duel success rate
31%
48%
As you can see in the table above, their respective performances at league level last season suggest that Engels would come in with the potential to offer more in the short term, as he has already proven his quality in a major European division.
Engels, who made three key passes and created one 'big chance', in a DFB Pokal win over Viktoria Berlin on Sunday, also started 18 Bundesliga matches in the 2022/23 campaign and provided three assists.
These statistics show that the Belgian ace, who was dubbed a "revelation" by journalist Ronan Murphy, is far more established at first-team level than Kelly and, therefore, more prepared to come in and make an immediate impact at Parkhead.
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This means that Rodgers could forget all about Kelly by securing a club-record £10m deal to sign the Augsburg youngster, who appears to be a terrific young talent with the ability to make things happen offensively with goals and assists.