Celtic linked with exciting French talent but face competition from Nice and RB Leipzig

Teenager is highly regarded by his club

Brandon Soppy in action for France U17s against Slovakia's Filip Szetei

Celtic have been credited with an interest in Rennes defender Brandon Soppy – despite the 18-year-old still waiting to make his first-team debut for the Breton outfit.

Manu Lonjon, who works for Eurosport in France, made the claim on his Twitter feed on Monday afternoon, suggesting that Bundesliga side RB Leipzig and Rennes’ Ligue 1 rivals Nice are also keeping tabs on the versatile right-back, who was recently valued at around €8 million (about £7.3m) in the French media and has also been linked with Monaco and Wolves in the past.

It is understood Soppy’s performances in the UEFA Youth League have catapulted him into the spotlight, although football’s current indefinite hiatus offers no clues as to when clubs may make moves.

Celtic were earlier this season linked with Soppy’s Roazhon Park team-mate James Lea Siliki, and in recent seasons have signed Christopher Jullien, Odsonne Edouard and Timothy Weah from the French leagues.