Celtic face huge week with transfers as Brendan Rodgers lifts lid on player hunt and why he’s sanctioned exit

Meanwhile, Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers says he wants to bring in two new strikers for the upcoming campaign. His only current senior option is Japanese forward Kyogo Furuhashi and the Northern Irishman has made it clear he wants more options in his forward line. Moves are afoot to sign last season’s loanee Adam Idah on a permanent contract from Norwich, while Rodgers is also eyeing a young striker to fill the void left by Rocco Vata’s departure to Watford.

“My ideal scenario would be to have three strikers,” said Rodgers. “The plan was for us to have Kyogo, one other and bring through a youngster. That was the role we came up with for Rocco.

“It’s very difficult for a club of this size to have three top strikers. You can live with two because we play so many games and the specific nature of them means we can change it about. Three is difficult. But I also thought it would be good for development to bring in a young player from within. Rocco was that, but he’s moved on.

“So we may have to look elsewhere. But three is a really good number. Two, I would say to be number one strikers, and one that we can nurture and develop.”

Celtic are hoping to also bring back Paulo Bernardo from Benfica and have been linked with another midfielder in Venezia’s Tanner Tessman, as well as Antwerp winger Michel-Ange Balikwisha. Speaking from the US, Rodgers would not be drawn on specific names but insisted tireless work is going on when it comes to transfers.

Goalkeeper Benjamin Siegrist is edging closer to the exit door, with the Swiss set to join Rapid Bucharest in Romania. The former Dundee United stopper has fallen down the pecking order after the arrivals of Kasper Schmeichel and Viljami Sinisalo.

“It’s fair to say that with Benji, he’ll be looking to move on,” added Rodgers in an interview with the Scottish Sun and Daily Record. “He’s been a really professional guy. His spirit, he’d done well at United and come into Celtic and maybe wanted to play more. When he didn’t, and I can only speak for my year with him, he was exemplary.

“His professionalism, everything about him was first class. And when I spoke last season, we thought that probably for him, in this part of his career, he needed to go and play. So I believe that will be the case and he will move on.”