Centre-back is one area where Celtic are looking to bolster their options in this January transfer window, if possible. The club have been linked with a move for Aurele Amenda of Eintracht Frankfurt, but his future remains unclear. He is not the only one on the radar of the Hoops either. It looks like they want to bring in an Irish defender as well. In fact, it has moved beyond mere interest at this point.
The centre-back situation is not ideal at Celtic right now. Cameron Carter-Vickers is out injured for the foreseeable future. When fit, he is a nailed-on starter for the Hoops, even though there had been some question marks over the American's form in recent times as well.
On the other hand, Liam Scales and Auston Trusty are the two starting centre-back options for O'Neill right now. Both of them are left-footed though, which makes it a bit more difficult to strike the right balance when building from defence. So, it would be ideal if they could add a right-footed option to their ranks.
As reported by The Celtic Way, Vinnie Leonard has an official proposal on the table from Celtic. The Irish youngster has this weekend to decide where he wants to play his football next season, with offers from Brighton & Hove Albion, Crystal Palace and Norwich City all also being considered by the player.
Celtic make official proposal for Irish centre-back
Still just 17 years of age, Leonard has already played 40 senior games for Dundalk FC. That just goes to show how highly he is regarded.
Would he be ready to play first-team football for Celtic though? We doubt it. But then again, never say never. Lamine Yamal was a regular contributor for Barcelona at 16 years of age.
Of course, it is evident that Leonard has no lack of options. So, it will be tricky for Celtic to convince to turn down a move to England to head to Parkhead, where they do not have a great record of developing youngsters into first-team stars.