Celtic’s head of recruitment Gary Penrice has been spotted watching a Carabao Cup clash between Bristol City and Aston Villa, according to the Bristol Post.

Penrice, who is a Bristol legend, albeit more so for his Rovers connections having played for the club, was spotted at the match last Thursday.

The Hoops did make an attempt to sign Bristol City’s utility player Niclas Eliasson in January, although Penrice has only been employed in his current role at Parkhead since April.

A Sweden Under 21 international, Eliasson is still only 24 and was thought to be a top target for Neil Lennon last winter, however, the Celtic manager has not renewed his interest since.

Eliasson has been little used this term at Ashton Gate following the departure of long-term manager Lee Johnson.

The Swede played a big role under Johnson and made 36 Championship appearances last season, although now it seems he could be out of favour.

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Whilst Penrice could have innocently been taking in a match in his hometown, in the current climate, it’s difficult to see how he’d be allowed in the stadium unless he was there in an official capacity so there is a pretty signigficant chance that he was checking out Eliasson’s development.