Stephen McGowan has claimed four first team players could spearhead a major list of Celtic summer exits.
Celtic are expected to embark on a big summer rebuild with the Parkhead club needing to strengthen numerous positions in the team.
However, players are expected to leave and McGowan has named four top team stars who could lead Celtic’s transfer sales. Some of the names mentioned would come as a major surprise to supporters.
You can only keep one of Daizen Maeda or Reo Hatate at Celtic…
Who do you pick?
Celtic quartet named in summer exit update
According to McGowan’s report in The Herald, Celtic are already progressing with transfer planning ahead of another busy summer.
The report states that Daizen Maeda, Reo Hatate, Arne Engels and Paulo Bernardo are all expected to “spearhead a long list of exits”.
Hatate has consistently been linked with interest from abroad in recent months, while Bernardo’s future has also attracted speculation after a season where regular starts proved difficult to secure.
Maeda and Engels meanwhile remain among Celtic’s most important first-team players following the club’s domestic double-winning campaign.
Celtic should be protecting key players this summer
There would be understandable concern among supporters if Celtic were to lose several major first-team players in the same window.
Bernardo’s future may remain uncertain after limited involvement across large parts of the campaign, but the situations involving Maeda and Engels feel very different.
Maeda was one of Celtic’s most decisive performers throughout the season, while Engels quickly established himself as a regular starter in midfield.
Replacing that level of quality in a single transfer window would be an enormous task for Celtic.
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