Celtic have experienced a setback in their bid to sign Luca Connell after Bolton rejected the player's request to terminate his contract, report The Bolton News.

Connell impressed for Bolton towards the end of the season, and despite the disarray behind the scenes Bolton extended his academy contract for a third year.

The Hoops had hoped Connell would become a free agent which would mean they only had to pay a compensation fee believed to be £250,000, but now he is fully contracted the fee is possibly going to be significantly higher.

If Bolton are taken over the new administration could offer him a professional contract, but the 20-year-old is unlikely to sign for longer given his interest in moving to Celtic.

Neil Lennon recently spoke confidently of his chances of signing the defender, and said talks were ongoing in the hope of pinching him on a free, but with that opportunity seemingly out of the question Celtic will have to prepare an alternative, and he could end up costing a lot more.

The Verdict

Connell would be a real coup for Celtic, and he is clearly a player they value very highly. It would have been a brilliant move by the club to get him for as little as £250,000 but that now looks very unlikely.

Despite that, they should still push forward for the deal. Connell has so much potential, he wants to leave and he is only on an academy contract, so his situation still works in Celtic's favour. Given Bolton's predicament, he shouldn't cost a great deal and offers great long-term value so it would be surprising if Celtic don't submit a bid for him soon.