Celtic and Brendan Rodgers are willing to allow a “superb” player to leave the club during the January transfer window, a transfer update has suggested.
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The Hoops are preparing for a huge Scottish Premiership clash on Thursday, with Rodgers’ men making the trip to bitter rivals Rangers. They have opened up a 14-point lead over them, and victory at Ibrox would surely give them an unassailable lead at the top of the table.
While Celtic are excelling on the pitch, gradually closing in on yet another league title, that doesn’t mean that they won’t want new signings to arrive during the January window. A reunion with former left-back Kieran Tierney has been mooted plenty of times in recent weeks, with the club weighing up sealing a pre-contract agreement in January, prior to signing him on a free transfer at the end of the season.
Burnley midfielder Josh Brownhill is going to be a wanted man in 2025, with his contract expiring next summer and as many as 13 different clubs eyeing up a move for him. The Hoops are thought to be one of those, seeing him as a strong option to snap up in the middle of the park.
On the flip side, there are three teams who are reportedly interested in completing the signing of Luis Palma, with the 24-year-old winger falling out of favour under Rodgers, starting only once in the league and making just five appearances in the competition.
Rodgers for “superb” Celtic player to exit in January
According to a new claim from The Daily Record, Celtic and Rodgers are willing to sanction the sale of Stephen Welsh in the January window.
The 24-year-old has found himself struggling for playing time this season, making only one start in the Scottish Premiership and Scottish League Cup apiece. He is contracted at the club until the summer of 2027, but it looks as though the Hoops are happy to cash in on him now.
Moving Welsh on in January makes complete sense for Celtic, allowing him to enjoy a fresh challenge and be a regular elsewhere, not to mention generating transfer funds for the Hoops. The centre-back has been a good servant for the Hoops, making 68 appearances in total, with left-back Greg Taylor saying of him back in 2021: “His all-round performance was superb, just the same as last Wednesday at Kilmarnock. He’s done superbly, really good.
“It was a terrific goal that he scored with a great delivery from David Turnbull and Welshy did really well. Welshy is not a quiet lad. Even at the start of the season. He leads and he talks. That is definitely beneficial for him and that is the reason he is doing so well at the moment.”
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While keeping hold of Welsh would certainly be no disaster for Celtic, it feels like the right time to part ways, not least in terms of getting the best value for him at this point in his contract.