Celtic want Belgian international on free transfer

Celtic have already clinched the Premiership and will get the chance to win a double when they take on the Rangers in the final of the Scottish Cup this weekend at Hampden Park. No matter how that game plays out, the club will have a lot of work to do in the upcoming summer transfer window, as they need to strengthen the squad in order to be more consistent domestically and to make a genuine impact in Europe, something they have not been able to do in more than a decade.

One position which needs to be strengthened as soon as possible is goalkeeper. That is because Joe Hart will be retiring after the Scottish Cup final.

Celtic need to get the recruitment of his successor right. They cannot afford a repeat of the Vasilis Barkas situation from a few years back, when the Greek international failed to impress and the Hoops did not have a first-choice goalkeeper throughout the season as a result.

It looks like the club have a high-profile name on their radar though and he is set to be available as a free agent this summer. As reported by the Daily Mail (via Daily Record), Koen Casteels is among the names in the frame to replace Hart.

Celtic want Belgian international on free transfer

Casteels is someone who has the pedigree to replace someone like Hart. Of course, he does not have the winning experience of the Englishman, but he has played regular football at the Bundesliga level for more than a decade.

Casteels is also set to leave Wolfsburg as a free agent. So, that could make Celtic's path to signing him a little simpler, with no need to negotiate over a transfer fee.

Casteels is also a full Belgian international. He is expected to be their number one at the upcoming EUROs, with Thibaut Courtois set to miss out.