An update has emerged on Celtic and their plans to make further additions to the playing squad before the summer transfer window officially slams shut tonight.
What's the latest Celtic transfer news?
According to the Daily Record, the Hoops are considering a late move to sign free-agent left-back Ryan Bertrand to bolster their defensive options.
The report claims that the Scottish giants have been offered the chance to snap up the former England international as Brendan Rodgers, who worked with him at Leicester City, is keen to bring in another player in that position to compete with Alexandro Bernabei and Greg Taylor.
He has been without a club since the end of the 2022/23 campaign as his contract at the King Power expired over the summer and this means that the Bhoys could complete a move after deadline day as they do not have to register him from another team.
How good is Ryan Bertrand?
The 34-year-old veteran has endured a rough few years and Rodgers appears to be heading for a first howler of his second stint in charge of the Scottish side by considering a move for him.
Bertrand has not made any competitive appearances for a club since the 2021/22 campaign and has only featured in 11 matches since the end of the 2020/21 season.
This means that he would arrive at Parkhead with a startling lack of match fitness and may not even be available as a viable option for a number of weeks due to his lack of action over the last two years.
He had knee surgery in February 2022 and is yet to play a game since that operation, which also suggests that there could be an injury concern with the English defender as there is no telling how the experienced defender's body will react to playing competitive football again after such a long absence.
This is without taking into account that Bertrand's performances were less than impressive prior to that blow. He averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.45 and lost 64% of his duels across four Premier League outings during the 2021/22 campaign.
Bertrand also averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.66 over 29 starts and lost 59% of his aerial contests in the English top flight for Southampton during the previous term.
During the 2022/23 campaign, 26 Celtic players achieved Sofascore ratings of 6.73 or higher and this suggests that the free-agent could be one of the worst options within Rodgers' squad if they decide to bring him in.
The 5 foot 10 dud, who was once criticised for his "poor" defending by pundit Robbie Savage, would also be a disappointing alternative to reported transfer target Quentin Merlin, who plays in the same position at left-back for Nantes.
Last season, the France U21 international averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.92 across 24 Ligue 1 appearances as he won 54% of his duels and created seven 'big chances' for his teammates from full-back, suggesting he is a better all round package.
Instead of bringing in a frontline option who could compete with Taylor and Bernabei, which is what Merlin could have been, Rodgers would be signing a dud whose statistics and fitness record in recent years suggests that it would not be a worthwhile investment.