Brendan Rodgers has been trimming his squad but is desperately seeking new faces as he gears up for Champions League playoff
Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers(Image: SNS Group)
Brendan Rodgers is wasting no time clearing the decks at Celtic Park this summer as three fringe men near exits.
The Hoops have already offloaded unwanted trio Luis Palma, Gustaf Lagerbielke and Maik Nawrocki in recent weeks.
Scott Bain has also joined Falkirk, while key first-teamers Greg Taylor and £17million man Nicolas Kuhn have moved to pastures new.
Now, the Scottish champions are set to trim their squad even further as forgotten man Hyeokkyu Kwon gets set for a shock switch to France.
The South Korean, 24, has been bombed out of Celtic’s pre-season plans after returning from an underwhelming loan stint at Hibs.
And it’s believed the midfielder – who never played a competitive game for the Hoops – is on the brink of inking a three-year deal with Ligue 1 club Nantes.
He could quickly be followed out of the door by Marco Tilio as Rapid Vienna close in on an initial loan with an obligation to buy for around £1.5m after he makes a set number of appearances.
Meanwhile, Norwich City are hopeful of landing bit-part winger Hyunjun Yang on loan, with talks ongoing.
The departures of Yang and Tilio would leave James Forrest and Daizen Maeda as Celtic’s only fit wide players, with Jota crocked until 2026.
It’s an area of the team that Rodgers has made no secret of the fact that he wants to bolster, with Michel Ange Balikwisha top of the wishlist.
Royal Antwerp have so far played hard ball over their £5m valuation of the left-sided attacker, who is out of contract next summer.
But Celts remain keen on the 24-year-old and are hopeful that a cut-price fee can be agreed sooner rather than later.
Elsewhere, Rodgers has been boosted by the return of right-back Alistair Johnston.
Celtic star Alistair Johnston(Image: SNS Group)
The Canada international was spotted training at Lennoxtown on Wednesday before the Hoops jetted out to Italy for the Como Cup.
Johnston, 26, was handed an extended break due to his Gold Cup commitments, where he helped his country reach the quarter-finals.
The fans’ favourite could be handed minutes this week as Celtic face Ajax on Thursday before a weekend clash against either Como or Al-Ahli.
And he could come up against a familiar face in German ace Kuhn – if Celts land Como in the final or third-place play-off.
Kuhn packed his bags for the Serie A outfit earlier this month and revealed his reasons for linking up with Cesc Fabregas’ side.
He told Sky Sports Italy: “I had good talks with Fabregas. He wanted to bring me over before I went to Celtic.
“So he knew about me for a couple of years and that was a big part. I think the project speaks for itself and they want to grow fast.”
Kuhn waved farewell to Parkhead earlier this month but hopes for a special reunion this week in the Como Cup.
He added: “Just before I left Glasgow, we were joking. So I didn’t actually say goodbye, I said see you in two weeks.
“So now I’m looking forward to seeing all the lads back here. It will be nice.
“I hope we play Celtic. Obviously, I know a lot of players from Ajax as well. But Celtic would be something special.”
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