Brendan Rodgers has Celtic in excellent fettle ahead of the new season and will be keen to fine-tune his squad over the remainder of the transfer window.
Movement is expected in both directions at Parkhead, and anticipation is building over potential incomings. If all goes according to plan, Paulo Bernardo is poised to finalise his return in the coming days.
Celtic hold a long-term interest in Hugo Bueno and have made a renewed push to try and loan in the Wolverhampton Wanderers left-back. However, it remains to be seen if the Spain Under-21 international will arrive to strengthen Rodgers’ backline.
Bolstering the Hoops’ central defensive options is another priority for the Irishman, and Burnley defender Dara O’Shea is reportedly on the manager’s wishlist.
This could, in turn, breed one or two outgoings. Stephen Welsh is wanted on loan by KV Mechelen and may depart in search of first-team football. Additionally, Rodgers has suggested that one of his teammates could also leave the club this summer.
Brendan Rodgers on Gustaf Lagerbielke’s Celtic future
When pressed on Gustaf Lagerbielke’s future, Rodgers admitted the Swede may depart Celtic this summer despite showing a ‘terrific attitude’ in the face of speculation over his future.
He also opened up on his failed switch to Lecce in January, stating [Daily Record]: “It just all depends. Gus has shown a terrific attitude. He didn’t get so much game time last season but he’s got his head down.
“He had the chance to go on loan in January but we needed to keep him due to the injuries we had in that position. But he’s worked very hard over pre-season and we’ll see what happens.
“You see the players are happy and working well, but all players want to play. If they can’t get the game time with us, they may look elsewhere. In this moment, he’s working very hard, and when he is asked, he comes in and does well.”
Lagerbielke made just ten appearances for Celtic last season and found himself way down the pecking order despite only moving to Parkhead last summer from Elfsborg.
His professionalism in the circumstances has to be admired. Nevertheless, you get the impression that it is only a matter of time before he embarks on a new challenge, potentially opening up another squad slot to be filled before the window closes.
Time will tell regarding where his future lies. Either way, finding an agreeable solution for both parties as the Bhoys tool up for the new campaign would make sense.
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