6 Carl Starfelt replacement options for Celtic as Scott McKenna rumours run wild and Ange disciple emerges

There's going to be a new defender coming in the door but just who will Brendan Rodgers look to for his defensive Celtic plans?

The Irishman confirmed after Saturday's 4-2 Premiership win over Ross County that Carl Starfelt is on his way out of the champions squad, two years after his switch to Scotland from Rubin Kazan. Celta Vigo in Spain is his likely destination and while confirmation is still to arrive, Rodgers has already said that he will be dipping back into the market for some defensive reinforcement.

Cameron Carter-Vickers and Maik Nawrocki started on matchday one, with Stephen Welsh and Yuki Kobayashi currently serving as deputies amid uncertainty over Liam Scales' future. There's still plenty of time before the Deadline Day madness on September 1st but already fans are casting their eye to who could come next. We run the rule over six potential candidates that Rodgers may consider.

It's a well-known name and some have been left convinced he is a target. Fans have been debating whether or not the Nottingham Forest defender is one target, amid rumour mill suggestions he is one Celtic are looking at. A boyhood fan of the club, the Scotland international had Hoops interest in 2019 as a public saga played out. Eventually he made his move away from Aberdeen to the English Championship in 2020 for a fee that was reported as a £3 million fee that could rise to £6 million.

He Player of the Year in the 21/22 campaign in which they won Premier League promotion but last season was heavily disrupted by injury, having started the campaign as a regular pick. McKenna is no-nonsense but would need to build on his 25% dribble completion rate with Celtic's possession-heavy style alongside more emphasis on his technical ability.