Celtic in talks to sell "excellent" ace with personal terms being discussed

Serie A club Atalanta are believed to have made contact with both an “excellent” Celtic player’s representatives and the Hoops themselves.

Rodgers promises busy summer at Celtic

The Hoops have enjoyed another triumphant season, winning the Scottish Premiership title and also having a chance to seal Scottish Cup glory in the final against Aberdeen on Saturday, as Brendan Rodgers looks to add to his trophy haul at Parkhead.

This isn’t a time for anyone at Celtic to rest on their laurels, however, with Rangers set to appoint a new manager this summer and looking to bridge the gap at the top, and Rodgers has outlined how he expects the summer to be a busy one.

“Yes, think so. Again, we have to look at and adapt to situations as well. We all know fine well, here there’s a player trading model, which means that we will probably get offers for some of our players in the summer. And if that happens, then we have to be flexible and be able to adapt to that. If I said that everyone now would be here, then you’d maybe only have a few, two to three players coming in of high quality, but we’ll just have to see.”

Chelsea midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has been linked with a summer move to Celtic, being seen as a possible replacement for Arne Engels, who has been backed to seal a switch to Atalanta at the end of the season. Now, a new update has emerged regarding the Hoops man.

According to TuttoAtalanta [via Sport Witness], Atalanta have made “significant contact” with Celtic ace Engels over a summer move to the club, as well as the Hoops themselves. That said, it is stated that the Scottish champions are proving to be a “tough nut to crack” when it comes to letting him go, but there is belief from last season’s Europa League winners that a deal can still be struck.

Selling Engels wouldn’t be ideal for Celtic, considering he is still just 21 years of age and has only spent one season at the club, not yet fully having the time to fully prove his worth.

The Belgian has scored nine goals and registered five assists in the Scottish Premiership this season – he also has one and three in the Champions League respectively – and Rodgers spoke positively about him earlier in the campaign.

“He’s really enjoying his time here. I’ve taken him out for some games just to let him see from the outside looking in and take that pressure away from him because it’s a big move and everything that comes with it. But he’s been excellent in training and he’s only going to get better and better.”

But ultimately, if Engels decides he wants a new challenge, it is pointless Celtic keeping hold of an unhappy player, with the manager well aware of the surgery required to compete in Europe next season.