Alex Jones 
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Reported Celtic target Carl Starfelt was absent from training footage released by his parent club, fuelling speculation over an imminent Parkhead move.
The Sweden international was nowhere to be seen in a series of Instagram stories released by parent club Rubin Kazan, as per Russian Football News (@RusFootballNews) on Twitter.
Twitter: Rubin Kazan back in training after two days off with one notable absentee – Carl Starfelt.
Celtic move perhaps ed… https://t.co/7MbQKLrHdo (@RusFootballNews)
The 26-year-old defender has been linked by Italian transfer expert Fabrizio Romano with a switch to Ange Postecoglou’s side this week, with Celtic in the market for a ball-playing defender.
Celtic have already added to their defensive ranks this window, with the acquisition of Osaze Urhoghide and the formal arrival of Liam Shaw from Sheffield Wednesday on free transfers.
Celtic bulwark Kristoffer Ajer has less than a year remaining on his current Celtic deal, with the Norway international going public with his agitations for a move away claiming it would be the optimum solution for all parties.
Newly promoted Premier League club Norwich City have been linked with the defender, whilst he is also attracting further interest from Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen.
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With the deadline for Celtic to submit their Champions League squad for the qualifier against FC Midtjylland, the Bhoys face a race against time to seal any ongoing deals if they are to be able to utilise them in their season’s opener.
Bringing experience at a senior and international level, the Swedish progressive defender could be a more well-rounded option over other options to suit Ange Postecoglou’s dynamic system.
Having won their first pre-season game under the Australian tactician, Postecoglou will already have one eye on his preferred XI for crunch games.
