Celtic have been credited with observing Nantes left-back Quentin Merlin.
The 21-year-old is rated in the 7m euro price range which is affordable to the hoops but whether they could tempt a French prospect to move to Scotland is another matter.
Playing in the Champions League is an obvious attraction but that is only a six match guarantee while playing in Ligue 1 keeps him in the shop window, within easy reach of clubs in Spain, Germany and Italy.
Greg Taylor was the regular left-back for two seasons under Ange Postecoglou but as Brendan Rodgers makes his mark on the squad every position is bound to come under scrutiny.
Postecoglou introduced inverted full-backs to Celtic, a role that Taylor excelled in but with just over a fortnight in the transfer window to go agents and clubs are all looking to hype up interest and convert interest into bids.
Le Celtic 🏴🇮🇪 observe la situation de Quentin Merlin. Pas d’approche pour le moment. #FCNantes
— Emmanuel Merceron (@ManuMerceron) August 14, 2023
TRANSLATION: Celtic observe Quentin Merlin’s situation. No approach at the moment. #FCNantes
That report comes against a background of social media speculation linking Kieran Tierney with a return to Celtic.
Either a loan or permanent move seems unlikely but somewhere there seems a bit of substance to the suggestion with the Scotland defender well out of the picture at Arsenal.
Tierney is under contract to Arsenal until May 2026 with a reported weekly wage of around £120,000.
Early summer reports of interest from Aston Villa and Newcastle has failed to be converted into serious offers for the 26-year-old.
Three months ago no-one was predicting that Brendan Rodgers would be managing Celtic, with that example in mind the interest in Tierney can’t be completely dismissed.
Merlin is under contract until 2026, CLICK HERE for Transfermarkt profile.
— Celticunderground (@celticrumours) August 14, 2023
