Celtic are getting ready for what looks set to be an incredibly busy summer transfer window, but what moves do we already know are in the works?
After 20 years in the senior game, Joe Hart is retiring at the end of the season. By the time Joe hangs up his gloves he'll have made over 700 club appearances; won 75 England caps, including four consecutive appearances at the World Cup and European Championship finals between 2010 and 2016; and won every domestic honour both north and south of the border. With a roll call as impressive as that, allied to the impact he has made since arriving in Glasgow three years ago, it is safe to say that Celtic will have to work hard to replace the experienced stopper.
From one player at the end of their career to one just approaching his prime in Matt O'Riley. Over the last two transfer windows, there has been serious interest in the services of Celtic's star midfielder. The Danish cap has gone from strength to strength for Celtic this season, resulting in a January bid being tabled by Atletico Madrid.
That bid was promptly knocked back, but with O'Riley pushing for a place in Denmark's European Championships campaign, the interest in signing the 23-year-old this summer will undoubtedly move into fever-pitch territory, and Celtic may need to prepare for life without Matt O'Riley this summer.
Lennon Miller of Motherwell and Kilmarnock's David Watson are two of Scotland's emerging midfield talents, but at 17 and 19 years respectively, both players have a fair bit of development to go before they could step into O'Riley's boots.
There is another option, of course, and one who is already in the building...
Should Celtic sign Bernardo permanently?
Portuguese media outlet A BOLA have reported that Celtic are looking to sign Paulo Bernardo from Benfica on a permanent deal this summer.
The option-to-buy the Portuguese midfielder was agreed upon his arrival in August and is reportedly just shy of £6.5million, but Celtic may be looking to renegotiate that fee down to a more reasonable price.
If a big money bid does come in for Matt O'Riley this summer, and we are expecting that it will, then Celtic are financially well enough placed to spend a fee of around £6.5million or more on his replacement. The real question is, should Paulo Bernardo be that player?
Has Bernardo done enough?
When Bernardo was signed on loan from Benfica with a similar option-to-buy fee as Jota, naturally comparisons were made between the two and Celtic supporters may have been expecting another player of Jota's calibre.
Those comparisons would have been unfair on most new arrivals, and Bernardo failed to make the type of initial impact his countryman enjoyed. Brendan Rodgers quickly identified something in the 22-year-old, however, and brought him into Champions League action more often than not to tap into his strong pressing and running. Whilst he turned in some solid performances, he didn't really set the heather alight.
Bernardo did come on to a game and has impressed in bursts over the last few months, culminating in an excellent performance and a cracking goal in the most recent derby match against Rangers at Parkhead.
Even with a match-winning Glasgow Derby performance under his belt, would it justify paying the lofty fee or should Celtic be looking for more consistency from the Portuguese Under-21 cap?
In my view, if Celtic can negotiate the fee down to around £4m - £4.5m, then that would be a far more reasonable price for a player who'd be expected to replace a player of Matt O'Riley's influence.
James McKenzie // @JamesWHMcKenzie
