Trusty clue, Kvistgaarden option resurfaces as 2 stars exit path cleared – Celtic transfer state of play

Sheffield United defender Auston Trusty has dropped a hint that he is eyeing the English Premier League over the Scottish Premiership amid links with Celtic.

Blades defender Trusty - who was linked with a switch to Rangers just 12 months ago - has reportedly been identified as a target this summer. The 26-year-old joined Sheffield United from Arsenal at the start of last season for £5m and appeared 32 times in the Premier League as the Bramall Lane side suffered relegation back to the English second tier - but it has been a very different story far this season.

The only start for the American came in the 4-2 League Cup win over Wrexham and he has been benched by Chris Wilder for every Championship game so far. But speaking to CBS Sportsbefore the transfer deadline, the defender appeared focussed on the battle for promotion. He said: “Last year was tough.

"The mindset was to stay promoted and and show that we can play in this league but ended up not working for us. We got we got relegated but the mindset still is to be back at the top.

"Everyone in the organisation, they don’t want to be in the Championship. They want to be playing and be in the best league in the world. So the atmosphere now is to get back to where we were and then when we get back to that stage, to continue on."

In terms of attacking options, reports in Denmark claim Brondby could sell Mathias Kvistgaarden this summer amid Celtic's long-standing interest. The forward has been on the Parkhead agenda over the last year with an offer worth more than £4m reportedly knocked back last summer.

With the club facing a battle to keep their spot in the Europa Conference League - with the side trailing Legia Warsaw 3-2 after the first leg - it claimed players