Celtic transfer state of play as Carter-Vickers handed £20m price tag while Rodgers wants left-back and Vata 'could' stay

Brendan Rodgers has kicked off his January recruitment with Nicolas Kuhn the first arrival in the door.

The winger has penned a long-term deal with the Scottish champions following a £3million move from Rapid Vienna. He could be handed a quick-fire debut this weekend in the Scottish Cup against Buckie Thistle in front of the home support as the Hoops look to add further reinforcements as the winter window enters its business end. The minutes continue to tick away for clubs up and down the country and it is no different for Celtic in their pursuit for new additions, letting fringe men leave and retaining star men.

Rodgers has openly praised Greg Taylor and the role he has played for him since his return to the club. He really upped his game under Ange Postecoglou and has made the left-back position his own. Alexandro Bernabei has failed to deliver that real competition for places and he has been linked with an exit. That has prompted the Hoops boss to look to add in that area and it is something he would love to get done.

He explained: “My job is to bring competition to the squad in a number of areas. I’ve got to say, Greg has been brilliant for me. Clearly there is a loading issue there we need to be mindful of if we don’t bring in support there. I know I’ve got Liam Scales who can play there, in a worst case scenario.

“But Greg has been great for me. Like some of the players, he probably took some time to adapt to what we’ve been asking them to do. But now with everyone in sync, you can see how much he’s improved from a defensive perspective and the football side of his game is very good.

“I really, really like him. You always need those personalities. Greg is a real voice on the pitch. He’s very respectful of