Ahead of the summer, Celtic have decisions to make on a number of players coming to the end of their contracts. One of those is Rocco Vata, the talented youngster who had looked set to leave Parkhead amid interest from Italy, only for the Hoops to open negotiations over a new deal. Celtic have made progress towards an agreement with the 18-year-old and an extension is now thought to be close.
The outlook is comparatively bleak when it comes to the future of midfielder David Turnbull, though. Speaking last month, Brendan Rodgers said he "won't lose sleep" over his refusal to pen fresh terms after unsuccessful talks last summer.
Player
Age
Joe Hart
36
Scott Bain
32
Rocco Vata
18
David Turnbull
24
Intriguingly, there could be some upheaval in the goalkeeping ranks in Glasgow, with both Joe Hart and Scott Bain into their final six months. And it seems Rodgers is already adamant about what he wants to do with the former.
Celtic to bid farewell to Hart
According to Football Insider, Celtic will replace Hart as their first-choice goalkeeper ahead of next season. The Scottish Premiership leaders are "actively seeking" a new number one in their preparations for the summer transfer window.
Rodgers is apparently happy to keep Hart between the sticks for the remainder of the current campaign, but he's "eager" to replace him straight away, with the position marked out as the "top priority" for the off-season.
Champions League exposes Hart as Kelleher eyed
It's slightly surprising that Hart's exit is already considered an inevitability given the extent of his involvement this season. He's played 29 games so far, starting all but one match across all competitions – he was suspended for the league game against Motherwell at the end of September after picking up a red card versus Livingston.
There hasn't even been rotation for the cup games, with Hart donning the armband against Highland League side Buckie Thistle last weekend, but that would appear to reflect Rodgers' doubts about the strength of his backup options rather than any overwhelming confidence in Hart.
Indeed, while he's kept 11 clean sheets this term, he struggled in the group stages of the Champions League. Celtic conceded a joint-competition high of 15 goals, and while that isn't automatically a knock on the 'keeper – sometimes there's nothing they can do – Hart only faced a post-shot xG total of 13.3, which gave him the fifth-poorest shot-stopping record in the tournament. Rodgers will want somebody who can truly hold their own against the toughest opponents.
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Who could Celtic go out and get, then? Well, one possible name is Liverpool's Caoimhin Kelleher. It was reported this week that they're considering a move for the Irishman, who wants to leave Anfield, but they're banking on Liverpool first lowering their £20m demands. As much as Rodgers may view him as a solution to his problems, there's a feeling that no suitor will even come close to that valuation.
