Celtic are in the market to strengthen a key position in the January transfer window and an update has emerged regarding one of their reported targets, according to reports.
Celtic updates: Ryan Christie latest, Liel Abada, Johnston verdict
According to a Celtic transfer update from TEAMtalk, Bournemouth midfielder Ryan Christie is being targeted by Brendan Rodgers, who is a huge admirer of the Scotland international and could look to bring him back to Parkhead if he doesn't sign a new deal at the Vitality Stadium.
Christie spent five years in Glasgow between 2016 and 2021 before moving on to Bournemouth; however, he is out of contract at the Cherries in 2024 and could be available as a free agent. Nevertheless, Andoni Iraola is said to be pushing to try and extend the former Inverness Caledonian Thistle ace's stay on the South Coast.
In other news, Rodgers has revealed that he has sat down with winger Liel Abada to offer him support amid the ongoing conflict in his homeland, stating via The Daily Record:
"I’d flown back on the Sunday and I went to a charity game and I left that to go and pick up Liel and took him up to have a bit of food and just get to understand what he was thinking and the traumas he’s gone through and everything."
"I don’t pretend to care about my players, I genuinely care about them. I always think that helps them play to a better level. That’s the whole idea about taking him out for a bite to eat. He’s a football player but he’s 21 years of age and in a foreign country. It is a tough period for him. His father had been over with him for a month and he was going back the next day, so he’s had his girlfriend here and his father here. But, of course, his mum is still back there."
Meanwhile, pundit Stephen McGinn has signalled that Celtic winger Mikey Johnston should look to leave Parkhead to seek a new challenge due to finding first-team opportunities hard to come by at his boyhood club. When asked if Johnston can turn his career around at Celtic, McGinn stated:
"I honestly don’t. We have seen the turnaround of Liam Scales, a great example. Anthony Ralston and Greg Taylor, these guys. But I think Mikey Johnston is at that stage where he is playing for Ireland. He has had that loan out in Portugal. I met him a couple of times. He is a great lad. He showed great potential, at times, especially in Brendan Rodgers’ first spell. I think mixed through injuries. I just can’t see the opportunity will come, there are that many options."
Celtic transfer update – Andriy Lunin
According to a Celtic transfer update from Football Insider reporter Pete O'Rourke, it is said that the Hoops are now unlikely to sign Real Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin, who had been identified as a target for the Scottish Premiership champions in recent weeks.
The report states that the Ukraine international, who has previously been labelled as a "top goalkeeper" by Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti, would prefer to move to the Premier League instead of joining Celtic and taking up a place between the sticks at Parkhead.
A Joe Hart contract update from the same outlet has revealed that the Hoops are in talks with the veteran goalkeeper over extending his spell in Glasgow, which is set to end in the summer of 2024 when his current deal expires. Nevertheless, Rodgers is still keen to bring a new stopper to Celtic either in January or later next year, though, so this update on Lunin is a blow.