Celtic transfers: Russian giants plan swoop, Tierney speaks out, Abada future clarified, Scales latest

Celtic are on the cusp of announcing a new centre-half in Maik Nawrocki, but there is reported interest in two of their current defenders.

Carl Starfelt has been at Celtic for two years after a previous stint in Russia with Rubin Kazan.

Spartak Moscow are keen to sign Celtic defender Carl Starfelt, according to reports this morning. Football Scotland claims that the Russian Premier League outfit are “preparing a bid” for the Swede, who spent two seasons in Russia with Rubin Kazan prior to joining Celtic in 2021. Starfelt has two years remaining on his Celtic contract and has established himself as one of the team’s first-choice centre-halves alongside Cameron Carter-Vickers.

Aberdeen are also keen on bringing Celtic’s Liam Scales back to Pittodrie. The 24-year-old spent last season on loan at the Dons and was part of the team that landed third place in the cinch Premiership. The left-sided defender is being assessed by new Parkhead manager Brendan Rodgers, who is expected to make a decision on the Republic of Ireland Under-21 cap’s future imminently. Aberdeen boss Barry Robson requires reinforcements to his backline, with Angus MacDonald and Rhys Williams sidelined by injury.

One player who is likely to remain at Celtic Park this season after “an open conversation” with Rodgers is Liel Abada. The 21-year-old forward struggled to hold down a regular first-team place under previous boss Ange Postecoglou despite a strong assist and goal return. With Fenerbahce leading interest from a number of clubs in Europe, speculation had been rife that the Israeli may depart, but Rodgers confirmed Abada is committed to Celtic.

“We had a nice conversation, a really open conversation, when I came in,” revealed the Celtic gaffer. “He sat in the office and I just wanted to know what his ambitions were and what he wanted to achieve. He is very keen and he really wants to be here to improve. But he also understands there needs to be competition when you are at a top club. That pushes you. Overall I like his game when I was watching from afar. I like his runs and he has a real killer instinct in front of goal. You don’t get that many goals unless you want to score – which I love. There are other areas we can look at to help him get to another level. I like him. I like his qualities. He wants to run in behind, his goal scoring record is incredible for a winger. That’s what you want – someone who can create and score goals.”

Meanwhile, former Celtic and current Scotland defender Kieran Tierney admits that he does not know what his long-term future holds. The 26-year-old was unable to break in Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal starting XI last season, which has led to speculation over his future. Newcastle are the frontrunners to sign him, but Celtic have also been mooted as a potential destination.

“I’ve not had any discussions with the manager and I’m just working hard every day and trying to do as well as I can,” Tierney said. “I didn’t miss a single game because of injury last season. I was available for every match and always ready when called upon. I think everyone would agree that I never give less than 100 per cent, whether I’m playing or not. You can’t play every single game every year and I don’t expect that. But I still made a lot of appearances last season coming off the bench, whether that was to see games out or help to get a goal, and I did all I could to help.”