The latest on potential Celtic signings as Brendan Rodgers has his say on Jota exit

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Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers has updated the media on the latest situation with potential signings.

Celtic have signed Odin Thiago Holm and Marco Tilio so far this summer, while Tomoki Iwata’s permanent move was also confirmed by the club on Thursday.

Jota and Aaron Mooy are the two big departures, and fans are keen to see new bodies in as soon as possible.

Rodgers didn’t give a whole lot away, but he is confident that the club will get in what it needs this summer.

“We’ll look to improve,” said Rodgers, as shown on the Celtic YouTube channel. “It’s the best time to improve.

“When the team has done really well and been successful, to increase the competition in the squad.

“We’ve got some more work to do but I’m very confident we’ll be able to do that.

“People talk about players coming in but I think it is important that you keep your best players where you can. Callum is a fantastic boost for the squad. Daizen and Kyogo have been outstanding players for the club.”

Elsewhere, Rodgers has had his say on Jota following his high-profile £25m (Sky Sports) departure to Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad last week.

Jota and Rodgers never got to work with each other, and it’s not even clear if they met. But the manager has still explained the club’s stance on the move.

Rodgers: “The modern game, for a lot of players, it’s also a business for them. Careers are short and [Jota’s] been given an opportunity to go and look after himself and his family, so we have to respect that.

“So he’s gone and of course we have so many talented players here, but we’d like to do some business in that area of the team as well.”

An adequate replacement for Jota seems like a real priority given the impact that the winger had over his two seasons at the club. Replacing him won’t be easy, but we do have an excellent recent track record in the transfer market.

Let’s hope for a bit of movement on the signing front from next week onwards.

In other news, Rodgers has cleared up the situation with Alistair Johnston’s injury