Italian giants Atalanta are plotting a January transfer swoop for Celtic youngster Rocco Vata.
The Serie A club are preparing a deal for the 18-year-old that would see Brendan Rodgers' side earn a compensation figure worth €400,000.
If Vata was to complete the move to Italy he would initially feature in Atalanta's B team in Primavera, but the club plans to develop him into the first team in the future.
Celtic are yet to offer the Republic of Ireland under-21 international a new deal despite his current terms running out in the summer.
Other Italian clubs including Inter Milan and Torino have scouted Vata in the past, but Atalanta are currently the front runners to tie up a deal.
Meanwhile, Brendan Rodgers outlined his impressive credentials after Celtic handed Philippe Clement his first defeat as Rangers boss with a 2-1 win at Parkhead.
“Over my two spells here I have worked against five Rangers managers and every time Rangers were coming,” said Rodgers, who revealed defender Stephen Welsh injured a shoulder before he was taken off.
“So for me it’s normal. If I listened to media and press then we would be in constant crisis mode and constant fear of Rangers.
“But it’s the fifth manager now. So for me my focus is only on Celtic and concentrating very much on here and a lot of the stuff that maybe does go around, thankfully I ignore it.
“We showed today that with a team still missing key players, and players who will make the difference for us, that we are competitive and we can play football and we can compete. And that is what we will continually do.
“There is no doubt Philippe has improved Rangers. He’s come in, he has used his experience and common sense. He has set the team up well. They are competitive and they play as a team.
“We knew it was going to be a challenge for us. We had to take on the challenge and that is what I have always done when I’ve been here.”
