Stephen Welsh’s Celtic future increasingly looks set to come to an end this summer as the club step up their interest in Scotland international Scott McKenna.
Welsh is due to return to Parkhead at the conclusion of the campaign after spending two separate loan spells at Motherwell across the season.
The defender has impressed under Jens Berthel Askou and even returned to Celtic temporarily in January, making two appearances during the Hoops’ defensive injury problems.
Now 26, Welsh is entering the final year of his Celtic contract this summer and will likely feel he has done enough to put himself back into the conversation for a squad role next season.
However, Celtic’s transfer activity ahead of the summer window is beginning to gather pace, and the latest developments surrounding McKenna suggest Welsh may still have no long-term place at the club.
Celtic are pushing ahead with plans to sign Scott McKenna:
Celtic have repeatedly been linked with a move for Scotland defender McKenna, with interest intensifying ahead of the summer after his strong performances in Croatia for Dinamo Zagreb.
The 29-year-old recently helped Zagreb secure their 26th HNL title, with Croatian outlet Sportske Novoski now reporting that Celtic scouts have watched McKenna on four separate occasions over recent months.
The report states that Celtic are highly focused on securing a deal for the centre back this summer and describes their interest as “very serious”, meaning an official approach could arrive sooner rather than later.
McKenna is believed to want clarity over his future before linking up with Scotland for the World Cup, and his possible arrival at Celtic Park would almost certainly signal the end of Welsh’s time with the Hoops.
Despite his qualities, Welsh has never fully managed to establish himself as a permanent starter at Celtic, which explains why he finds himself out on loan at this stage of his career.
With only one year remaining on his contract, this summer also represents the final realistic opportunity for Celtic to receive a transfer fee should he depart. His value is arguably as high as it has ever been following an impressive campaign at Fir Park.
Auston Trusty, Liam Scales and Cameron Carter-Vickers are all expected to remain key figures next season, while Dane Murray continues to be viewed internally as a highly promising backup option. That only strengthens the belief that Celtic’s pursuit of McKenna points toward Welsh heading for the exit door.
What has Welsh said about his future at Celtic?
Motherwell manager Berthel Askou has been heavily linked with replacing Martin O’Neill this summer, although reports suggest Celtic’s preferred target remains former Tottenham boss Thomas Frank rather than his fellow Dane.
An appointment for Askou may improve Welsh’s chances of reviving his Celtic career, but the defender insists his full concentration remains on Motherwell and finishing the season strongly.
When asked last month whether he had been thinking about his future beyond this campaign, he said:
“No, not necessarily, hopefully everything will fall into place in the summer.
“But just now, all I’m thinking about is playing as many games as I can, playing as well as I can and showing what I can do.
“As I said, being in such a good team and having such good players around you, with good staff and a great manager, it can only be positive.”
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