The January transfer window has just over a week left to run and Celtic already have their eyes on a target to bring to Parkhead in the summer.
Celtic's search for a new number one
According to Football Insider, the Hoops have made signing a new number one a priority for the summer transfer window as they look for a new long-term option in that position.
Current first-choice Joe Hart is out of contract at the end of the current season and it remains to be seen whether or not he will be offered an extension.
The report claims that the Scottish giants have identified Liverpool shot-stopper Caoimhin Kelleher as one of their top targets to take over from the former England international.
It states that the Ireland international, who is valued at £20m by the Premier League side, is ready to move on from Anfield in search of regular game time, which has opened the door for Celtic to swoop in for him.
Brendan Rodgers could now avenge the blunder that was made with the signing of Nat Phillips from the Reds by landing a fantastic signing from Jurgen Klopp's side.
Nat Phillips' struggles in Scotland
The English centre-back spent the first half of the season on loan at Celtic from Liverpool and failed to nail down a regular place in the starting XI.
He only made six appearances in the Scottish Premiership and started three matches for Rodgers. One of those starts produced a calamitous performance as the 26-year-old flop scored an own goal in a 2-1 defeat to Kilmarnock.
Appearances
Six
Tackles per game
0.2
Interceptions per game
0.3
Ground duel success rate
30%
Phillips also featured in two Champions League games for the Hoops and lost a staggering 67% of his aerial duels and 100% of his battles on the ground, as opposition players found it far too easy to get the better of him.
These statistics show that the Liverpool loanee struggled domestically and in Europe before being allowed to return to England at the start of this month.
The stats that show why Kelleher could avenge Phillips' failure
Celtic could now avenge the blunder they made with the signing of Phillips by securing a deal for Kelleher at the end of the 2023/24 campaign.
The Irish colossus, firstly, is 25 and could be the long-term number one at Parkhead. He is 11 years younger than Hart, who is out of contract this summer, and could be Rodgers' number one for many, many, years to come.
This means that there is long-term value to be had with the Reds youngster if the Hoops snap him up on a permanent deal, whereas Phillips was only short-term loan that did not work out on the pitch.
Kelleher, who was once hailed as "exceptional" by Klopp, could also arrive as an upgrade on Hart in terms of their respective shot-stopping abilities.
The 25-year-old ace has been Liverpool's first-choice in the EFL Cup in recent seasons and recorded a save success rate of 73% or higher in two of the last three campaigns.
Meanwhile, Hart has saved 67% of the shots on his goal in the Premiership this season and saved 65% of the shots against him during the 2022/23 campaign.
Kelleher has also stopped 9.1% of crosses into his box over the last 365 days in European competitions, in comparison to the Celtic stopper's 1.2% of crosses during the same period of time.
Therefore, the Hoops could avenge their Phillips blunder by signing a superb Liverpool talent who could be a key player for the club for many years to come.