There are a lot of positions across the pitch where Celtic could do with reinforcements, following the arrival of Brendan Rodgers for a second stint in the Parkhead hot seat. One of them is centre-back. Cameron Carter-Vickers is recovering after undergoing surgery, which has left Carl Starfelt, Yuki Kobayashi and Stephen Welsh as options while Tomoki Iwata is also capable of playing in the heart of defence.
None of them have stepped up to the plate in the absence of Carter-Vickers though. Starfelt looks much better when playing with the American centre-back. There are already question marks over the future of Kobayashi following his early struggles. And Welsh is expected to be on his way out this summer.
Rumours have already linked Celtic with one centre-back in Xavier Mbuyamba. It looks like that the Dutchman is not the only one in their sights though.
As reported by Super Express Sport, Celtic and Galatasaray are competing to sign Maik Nawrocki from Legia Warsaw. The centre-back is valued at a transfer fee around €5 million.
Celtic join transfer race to sign €5 million-rated player
Nawrocki came through the youth ranks at Werder Bremen but made the move to Legia Warsaw before ever making an appearance for the German club’s first-team. He has been a standout for the Polish side though.
Nawrocki is 22 years of age and ticks a lot of boxes that Celtic look for when signing a player. He has represented Poland at multiple youth levels but is yet to make his debut for the senior team.
It remains to be seen if Celtic do end up making a move for the highly-rated young Polish centre-back. The club have shown a great eye for talent in recent times. Also, the last time they signed a player from Legia Warsaw, it was Josip Juranovic. And that turned out pretty well.