Stoke City have been busy in the summer window as they look to give Michael O'Neill the tools he needs to compete at the right end of the Championship table this season. 

Experienced free agents James Chester, John Obi-Mikel, Morgan Fox, and Steven Fletcher have all arrived at the club this window, while the Potters also swooped for young Barnsley forward Jacob Brown.

Those additions have, without doubt, strengthened the options available to O'Neill and it's easy to make the argument that the six exits so far this summer haven't weakened the squad.

With around three weeks left of the transfer window, there could still yet be more outgoings, however, and James McClean appears to have been in the spotlight recently.

The winger was named Stoke's player of the year for the 2019/20 campaign after contributing seven goals and nine assists in what was the most productive season of his career.

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However, the 31-year-old has been restricted to just Carabao Cup appearances this term and after being omitted from the squads for both Championship ties so far, rumours have been circling on social media that Celtic were keen on a move.

McClean would hardly be the first out-of-favour attacker from the second tier of English football to move north of the border and he has been spotted in the Bhoys' green and white stripes before.

Is there any truth to the rumours though? Speaking in an interview with the Stoke Sentinel earlier this week, O'Neill suggested there weren't but despite describing a move as "highly unlikely", did leave the door open for a bid.

He said: "I think that’s probably just a rumour that’s been created by someone - and it certainly hasn’t come from our end. James isn’t a player, equally, that we are looking to lose at this minute in time.

"The nature of the transfer window is such that you have to be flexible and if any situation arises with any player you have to give it consideration, particularly where we are at this minute in time.

"We have to obviously deal with the rules of Financial Fair Play and deal with too a squad which is bloated.

"James is no different from any other player in the squad and if the situation arose we’d have to consider it but at this minute in time, I think that would be highly unlikely."

O'Neill's message seems to be that there's been no interest in McClean yet and though Stoke don't want to lose him, they would listen to an offer should Celtic – or anyone else – make one.