Celtic are set to make a final offer for Charlton Athletic left-back Alfie Doughty before exploring other possible transfer targets, a report from The Daily Record has claimed.

Doughty has emerged as a potential target for the Scottish champions this summer as they look for competition for Greg Taylor on the left-hand side of their defence, and it seems they are not done yet in their pursuit of the 20-year-old.

According to the latest reports, Celtic are set to make one final offer for Doughty, which will apparently be more than there last offer of £600,000, but the club do want to overpay for the player.

However, it is also thought that Celtic will not pay £1million, a fee which Charlton boss Lee Bowyer says may not be enough to prise Doughty away from The Valley.

As a result, Celtic could soon turn to other options if they cannot secure the signing of Doughty with this next offer, with loan deals said to be a potential option.

That could then allow the club to complete the signing of Doughty on a pre-contract agreement in the January transfer window for a reduced fee, with the defender's current deal with Charlton set to expire at the end of this season.

The Verdict

Given the numbers that are being discussed here, it does seem as though Charlton could be in a strong position to retain the services of Doughty beyond the end of the current window at least.

The confirmation of Thomas Sangaard's purchase of the club on Friday means they are seemingly no longer under any pressure to sell this summer, so they will not have to accept this bid from Celtic if they do not feel it is appropriate.

However, should that happen, there will still be pressure on Charlton to get a new contract for Doughty sorted as soon as possible, so they do not lose the left-back for a reduced price on a pre-contract agreement to a club such as Celtic in January, which would be a blow from both a financial and football perspective.