Report: Celtic fringe player attracting further European interest

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Celtic defender Stephen Welsh is reportedly being tracked by clubs from England, Italy and France ahead of the January transfer window.

The 22-year-old has solidified his place in the first-team squad under Ange Postecoglou after rising through the academy ranks at Parkhead.

However, he hasn’t been able to lock down a regular place in the starting 11 during the 57-year-old’s tenure as boss.

The Scotland under-21 international started last season as one of the first-choice defensive options, with the Hoops having very few centre-backs to choose from.

However, the arrival of Cameron Carter-Vickers and Carl Starfelt pushed Welsh down to a backup role in this double-winning Celtic team.

The academy graduate did play his part in helping the Bhoys to trophy success, turning out 24 times for last season, scoring two goals.

Heading into the 2022/23 campaign, Welsh looked within a shout of a more regular role due to injury to Starfelt, and he started the opening game of the season against Aberdeen.

The defender even managed to score the opening goal in that game as he looked to build upon some strong pre-season performances.

But, unfortunately for Welsh, he suffered an injury at the worst possible time and now finds himself back down the pecking order behind the Swede and summer signing Moritz Jenz.

This season, he has played six times for the Hoops, including away from home in the Champions League to RB Leipzig.

But further injury knocks have seen Carter-Vickers, Starfelt, and Jenz play much more consistent minutes, and he could fall even further down the pecking order after the signing of Yuki Kobayashi in January.

This has led some supporters to question what the next step could be for the Scottish youngster as we approach the winter transfer window.

According to reports from the Daily Record, Celtic could be set for a decision to make on the player’s future next month, with clubs from England, Italy and France tracking the centre-back.

Although no club has yet been mentioned, several are believed to have been alerted by Welsh’s possible availability after struggling for game time.

A decision doesn’t appear to have been made on the defender’s future just yet. But you would imagine there will be interested parties going into next month’s window.

Further European interest could arise for Celtic fringe player.

As Celtic fans will be well aware, this isn’t the first time there has been transfer interest in the one-time Celtic prospect.

The club have previously turned down offers from European sides, including French Ligue 1 team Toulouse, who placed a loan offer for the centre-back.

The Bhoys turned down the deal, despite the inclusion of a £3.5 million option to buy, with Welsh being one of the only centre-back options available at that time.

However, Ange Postecoglou now finds himself in a different situation and has more defensive options to choose from come January 1st.

So, it will be interesting to see if more interest from Europe arises for the fringe player or whether clubs closer to home in England may make their move.

The Hoops certainly have a decision on their hands if an offer arrives on the table for Stephen Welsh.

In other news, Celtic legend Scott Brown set to make one-off playing return in testimonial.