Celtic need to make a few signings now, having spent the last few weeks parting ways with players who do not have a part in Brendan Rodgers' squad, or, in the case of Nicolas Kuhn and Greg Taylor, wanted to continue their careers away from Parkhead. As the 5-1 defeat at the hands of Ajax in the Como Cup showed, there is a lot that needs to be done before the start of the season.
Of course, Celtic are always on the lookout for top rising talents. Just this summer, they have signed Callum Osmand and Isaac English.
Also, as reported by Football Insider back in April, Celtic were one of the clubs in the race to sign Jesse Derry. Well, now, it is clear that they have lost out.
As reported by Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea have agreed a deal to sign Derry from Crystal Palace. The medical will take place on Friday.
'Agree deal' - Fabrizio Romano drops update on Celtic target
Derry is one of the brightest talents in English football right now. That is pretty clear from the number of and the level of the clubs that wanted to sign him this summer.
While Chelsea might have come out on top, it was believed that he was on his way to Bayern Munich before that. Those are two of the biggest teams in world football. That is exactly how highly rated Derry is.
His numbers at the youth level are phenomenal and there is a very good chance that he could become a top professional one day. Of course, there is also a possibility that he could make an immediate impact, like someone like Jeremie Frimpong did at Celtic all those years ago. Of course, a move did not end up happening for Celtic this summer.