Celtic duo's future hinges on loan and transfer juggling act

Celtic duo Stephen Welsh and Marco Tilio are still expected to leave the club before the transfer window closes on September 1 - but manager Brendan Rodgers admits more needs to happen “behind the scenes” to make their moves happen.

Central defender Welsh, 25, has moved further down the pecking order at Celtic Park following the emergence of Dane Murray, who Rodgers started last week in the Premier Sports Cup against Falkirk. Welsh spent the second half of last season on loan at Mechelen and has been linked with another move away before the summer is out.

Australian winger Tilio, 23, was sent back to Melbourne City in his homeland for the whole of the 2024/25 campaign, but starred in some of Celtic’s early pre-season matches. He was close to joining Austrian side Rapid Vienna earlier in the window.

Daniel Arzani, left, is reportedly on Hearts' radar. | Getty Images

Rodgers still anticipates that the pair will be given the opportunity to pursue first-team football elsewhere and ahead of Celtic’s Champions League play-off round first leg at home to Kairat Almaty, he delivered an update on Welsh and Tilio.

"What makes it difficult is that there's selling a player and loaning a player,” said Rodgers. “And obviously we only have a certain amount of loans. So there's six loans internationally that the boys can go out. So then you then have to look at it. Who is to go out? And sometimes clubs will offer to buy a player and they'll offer to loan a player. So we have to make sure that it is the right loan.

“And the two boys that you mentioned have been great and they've had opportunities to move on and I hope for them that they get the chance to do that. But there's a little bit more behind the scenes that needs to happen for that to take place.”