Celtic have blocked Stoke City's attempts to sign attacker Lewis Morgan on loan, a report from the Daily Record has claimed.

Stoke have endured a difficult start to the season for the Potters, who find themselves 22nd in the Championship table, two points adrift of safety.

According to the latest reports, recently appointed Potters manager Michael O'Neill is keen to add some more creativity to his side as he looks to add to their attacking threat, and had identified the versatile Celtic attacker as an option to do that.

It is thought that the Potters had enquired about a potential loan move for Morgan until the end of the season, but that Celtic director of football Nicky Hammond has already made it clear that a temporary departure for Morgan is out of the question.

Having previously had spells out on loan from Celtic at the likes of St Mirren and Sunderland, Morgan has made 18 appearances in all competitions for the Scottish champions this season, with the attacker himself reportedly keen to remain at Parkhead and cement his place in Neil Lennon's side.

There are currently two and a half year's remaining on Morgan's contract with Celtic, securing his future in Glasgow until the summer of 2022.

The Verdict

This is likely to be a source of frustration for Stoke.

Despite some signs of encouragement for the Potters since the appointment of Michael O'Neill last month, they are still mired deep in a relegation battle right now.

One issue that has contributed significantly to those struggles in recent years has been their attack, and adding someone with the creativity and versatility of Morgan would surely have helped them to remedy that.

Even so, it is interesting to note that only a temporary departure for Morgan appears to have been ruled out here, and you wonder whether that could tempt Stoke to push their luck by trying for a more permanent move for the 23-year-old.