“Celtic would like..”: Joseph drops Lennoxtown transfer claim, Ange will be thrilled - opinion

Celtic are keeping a close eye on Manchester City defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis regarding a potential summer transfer.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Sky Sports journalist Anthony Joseph reflected on the current transfer situation at Lennoxtown and the Hoops’ interest in the Man City defender.

He said: “I think after getting [Cameron] Carter-Vickers, Celtic would like to add another centre-back, because I’d imagine they feel [Christopher] Jullien may leave, or may need to take time before he gets back to first-team level. Taylor Harwood-Bellis is someone who they’re closely monitoring.”

A graduate of City’s youth academy, which has produced players such as Phil Foden, Harwood-Bellis has made 77 appearances for the Manchester club across their youth and senior teams, scoring nine goals in the process.

The 20-year-old has also spent time away from the Etihad Stadium, having completed loan spells with Anderlecht, Blackburn Rovers and Stoke City.

During his latest loan spell, which saw him see out the second half of last season with the Potters, the Englishman played the full 90 minutes in all but one of the 22 Championship games in which he appeared.

In those appearances, the centre-back made 39 interceptions and won 16 tackles, in addition to ending the season with the second-highest average of clearances per game (3.5) out of players who ended the campaign at the club.

This highlights his clear defensive talent and presumably explains why the Hoops have such a keen eye on him.

As Joseph mentioned, the Bhoys recently secured a permanent transfer for Cameron Carter-Vickers after he spent the previous campaign on loan at Parkhead.

Now that Joseph has revealed just how closely the Hoops are looking at the Man City defender, it