Celtic transfers: Repeat links, Kieran Tierney, 2 players close to exit door - what to expect in January

Given Celtic are currently 14 points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership and on the cusp of reaching the knock-out stages of the Champions League, there is a school of thought that Brendan Rodgers does not need to do much business during the winter transfer window.

The Celtic manager, however, thinks otherwise. Always keen to evolve his squad every six months, Rodgers has admitted that he wants to add firepower to a burgeoning armoury that includes Kyogo Furuhashi, Adam Idah, Daizen Maeda and Nicolas Kuhn.

He will - temporarily, at least - have one fresh striker to work with, as Johnny Kenny’s loan at Irish side Shamrock Rovers is due to expire in January. The 21-year-old has scored 13 goals in 29 appearances for the League of Ireland outfit, including strikes in the UEFA Conference League, and he may be given a chance to contribute for Celtic in the second half of the season, although Shamrock would like him back.

Kieran Tierney, left, is said to be not in Arsenal's long-term plans. | Arsenal FC via Getty Images

It is safe to assume that when Rodgers spoke of enhancing his armoury, he was referring to more than just Kenny. What markets Celtic choose to dabble in remains to be seen, with the club flush with cash following the latest set of accounts. They have been persistently linked with Brondby’s 22-year-old hitman Mathias Kvistgaarden, who has scored ten times in 15 appearances this season. Antwerp’s 22-year-old winger Michel Ange-Balikwisha is another name that continues to crop up, although he picked up an injury in December.

More recently, there has been increasing speculation that Scotland defender Kieran Tierney could be in line for a return to Celtic Park, five-and-a-half years on from leaving his boyhood club for Arsenal. The 27-year-old is now fully fit after spending months on the sidelines with a hamstring injury, but with his contract expiring, it is understood that his time is set to be up at the Gunners. Rodgers knows Tierney very well from his first stint at Celtic and there is no doubt that the Scotland defender would enhance his squad.

The extent of Celtic’s transfer business in January could be dependent on whether they are tempted to cash in on some of their prized assets. Kuhn - an arrival in the last winter window for just under £3 million - has been in exceptional form this term and is said to be on the longlists of many clubs in England, while midfielder Reo Hatate has been admired by outfits across the continent for some time now and key centre-half Cameron Carter-Vickers is supposedly on Bayer Leverkusen’s radar. It is not beyond the realms of possibility that Celtic may field offers for the trio - but there is very little pressure to sell right now after Matt O’Riley departed for a fee in excess of £25m to Brighton in August.

Right-back Alistair Johnston had been catching the eye of bigger clubs with his performances for Celtic, but a recent contract extension will ward off any predators. However, defence is an area where Celtic may offload: centre-half Maik Nawrocki has fallen well down the pecking order and is fifth choice behind Carter-Vickers, Auston Trusty, Liam Scales and Stephen Welsh.

Maik Nawrocki is well down the pecking order at Celtic. | SNS Group

Left-back Greg Taylor is entering the final six months of his contract and was linked on Tuesday with Dinamo Zagreb. It remains to be seen whether a new deal for him will be forthcoming. Norwegian midfielder Odin Thiago Holm is a reported target for LAFC in the United States and unlike Taylor, is not in the first-team plans. He would be allowed to move if the right suitor comes in.

Celtic are in the luxurious position of not needing to do any business - but that may not stop them as Rodgers strives to make his all-conquering domestic champions even stronger.