It looks like Celtic are looking to strengthen their defence further this summer. The club are already on the verge of completing the loan signing of Jahmai Simpson-Pusey, the highly-rated Manchester City centre-back. And now, it looks like they have a French youth international left-back on their radar as well.
Celtic have a clear starter at left-back right now after Kieran Tierney was brought back as a free agent following six seasons with Arsenal. But with both Greg Taylor and Jeffrey Schlupp departing this summer, they have been left with little depth in that area.
Hayato Inamura has been pretty good in pre-season. But the original plan was to send him out on loan. Will the Hoops stray from that on the back of some performances in friendly games?
It does look like the Scottish champions are still trying to sign a left-back. As reported by FootMercato, both Celtic and Rangers, as well as Augsburg, PSV Eindhoven, Toulouse, and Metz have all contacted Kassoum Ouattara's agent to express their interest in the player. AS Monaco are believed to be keen on a permanent transfer instead of a loan.
Celtic make contact to sign French defender this summer
Outtara has represented France at multiple youth international levels. He also plays for a top Ligue 1 side like AS Monaco. So, this is the type of signing Celtic should be aiming for when it comes to providing cover for Tierney.
One cannot forget that Tierney has a worrying injury record. So, the cover option might need to play a lot of games as well and needs to be at that level.
Someone like Ouattara does seem to fit the bill. Also, he is just 20 years of age and only expected to get better. Let's see if Celtic can agree a deal with AS Monaco.