Neil Lennon has confirmed that signing a right-back is one of his transfer priorities.
During the close season Mikael Lustig, Cristian Gamboa and Jeremy Toljan left the club leaving Tony Ralston as the only player with top team experience in that position.
Ralston played in all three pre-season matches in Austria and Switzerland but was left on the bench against Sarajevo on Tuesday night as Lennon initially switched to a three man defence.
Kris Ajer played at right-back in the second half against the Bosnian side but Lennon appreciates that a permanent solution in that area is required.
“Right-back is a key area to strengthen. Kristoffer was outstanding, but we are looking to bring quality in,” the Celtic boss told the Daily Record. “It’s not an easy process, but we are working away in the background.”
Last night it seemed that Tommy Smith of Huddersfield was on his way to Celtic but the Record has claimed that Stoke is his destination after he left his club’s training camp in Austria.
Jack Stacey was mentioned in connection with Celtic while Kilmarnock’s Stephen O’Donnell has been linked from time to time.
Last season Cristiano Piccini and Timothy Castagne were reported to be transfer targets but in the end Toljan was brought in on loan in the final hours of the January transfer window.
Although there are various transfer deadlines for each round of the Champions League two players can be added by 11pm on the day before the first leg of each qualifier.