Celtic are set to lose out on a highly-rated young player as prospect Dara Jikiemi is set to leave the club after rejecting a new contract at Parkhead. He has agreed to make the move across the border to Liverpool, according to TeamTalk.
16-year-old Jikiemi is a promising star who is quickly rising through the ranks. At his age, he has already shown that he has leadership qualities, with one of the highlights being that he has captained Scotland at the under-15s level.
He can play as both a centre-back and a defensive midfielder, and has featured in both of those positions for the Hoops this season, and his versatility was always going to be a major reason that other clubs come calling.
Liverpool were far from the only suitors, with Nottingham Forest and other Premier League sides interested in his services. However, in the end, despite Celtic tabling a contract offer that would see him remain at the club for another three years, Jikiemi has opted to join the Reds.
Celtic's youth struggles
For a while, Celtic have struggled to keep young players at the club. A lot of supporters are very aware of the fact that there doesn't really seem to be a solid route into the first team from the academy, with many promising players moving elsewhere in recent years.
One notable name was Daniel Kelly. The 20-year-old was rising through the ranks in Glasgow but was excluded from the first team by Brendan Rodgers, despite showing buckets of potential. Because of this, he made the move down south to Championship side Millwall. He is far from the only name who has transferred away, and he won't be the last either.
Celtic were once renowned for their ability to develop young players into incredible talents, but now, we haven't had many people live up to the hype. The only players of note from the academy currently in the first team are Dane Murray and Colby Donovan.
That's two of note, but the list for players who have failed to remain at Celtic is massive. Karamoko Dembele, the aforementioned Kelly, Rocco Vata, and Ben Doak - all names who were once promising at Parkhead but were tempted by a move to England.
Some think there isn't a lot we can do about the riches they can offer on the other side of the border, but there has to be. We, as Celtic, surely have incentives that can be brought to the table, and maybe we need to start improving the entire system.
Homegrown talent can make or break a football club, and we really need to up the ante.