Ruairi Daly 
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Celtic have dismissed reports from France that they made a substantial bid for Jean-Kevin Duverne.
The 19-year-old broke into the Lens side at the start of the season and made 40 appearances for the club in Ligue 2 side, catching the eye of a number of clubs along the way.
Celtic were scouting the young defender several months ago, but reports from L’Equipe regarding a £4.8 million bid for Duverne are wide of the mark according to the Glasgow Evening Times.
Duverne, who can play in centre-back or right-back, is contracted with the French side until 2019, and has attracted interest from a number of clubs across Europe.
Brendan Rodgers has a number of options already in the heat of the defence, with first-team players Jozo Simunovic, Dedryck Boyata, Erik Sviatchenko all returning for pre-season training this morning.
Kristoffer Ajer, who spent the remainder of last season on loan at Kilmarnock will also be vying for a first-team role during pre-season in the centre-back position.
New signing Jonny Hayes will also join the squad for the first time at Lennoxtown as they begin preparations for the second round Champions League qualifier next month.
