Celtic Way journalist Anthony Haggerty has identified Stoke City's Harry Souttar as someone manager Ange Postecoglou should be looking at as a potential signing this summer, speaking to This is Futbol.
The Hoops recently sold star defender Kristoffer Ajer to newly-promoted Premier League side Brentford for a £13.5m fee, perhaps making another new centre-back a priority for Postecoglou as he looks to steal a march on bitter rivals Rangers and regain the Scottish Premiership trophy at the end of the season.
26-year-old Sweden international Carl Starfelt joined from Rubin Kazan the same day Ajer completed his move to the English capital - but the Dane has left a big hole in their defence and the club may wish to bring in another defender to address that and provide more depth in this department.
Celtic reporter Anthony Haggerty has named Australian international Souttar as one possible name the Glasgow-based side could have on their shortlist, with the 22-year-old proving to be a threat in both boxes and has scored a remarkable six goals in five caps for his national side.
In an interview with This is Futbol, Haggerty believes they should look closer to home in the transfer market and said: "Harry Souttar would be a person of interest, especially since they know him from his time with Dundee United.
"He's gone down south and flourished. If I’m doing my scouting right, Harry Souttar’s on the list. We need defenders and you can scout Europe, Far East Asian markets and Australian markets, but you have to know what’s under your nose.
"I think Harry Souttar could be a fit for Celtic."
The Verdict:
Another key Stoke City defender in Nathan Collins has already left the bet365 Stadium for Burnley this summer, so it would be a major surprise to see the 22-year-old depart as well despite the Potters suffering three consecutive mediocre seasons in the Championship since their relegation.
Souttar has been one of Michael O'Neill's shining lights in recent times and with his height, he is likely to form a solid partnership with promotion-winning centre-back and new signing Ben Wilmot next season.
As mentioned earlier, the threat he possesses in both boxes is likely to be a vital asset for the Staffordshire side next season, so the Scottish side will have to pay well over the odds if they want to land the Australian.
A key reason why the Championship side will be able to take this tough negotiating stance is because he signed a new 'long-term' contract at the start of February and considering he's likely to generate interest from other clubs this summer, this was a smart move.