Celtic will probably be in the market for a centre-back this summer, as there are still doubts over Christopher Jullien’s future at the club.

Jullien’s recent move to Schalke fell through, but you have to imagine that unless he makes a big impression in Celtic’s pre-season games, that he will be out of the club as soon as the Hoops get an offer which is suitable.

That will mean that the Bhoys will be looking for a centre-half, and perhaps there is one that is playing in Scotland that will have caught the eye of manager Ange Postecoglou, and that is Hibernian’s Ryan Porteous.

Ian MacNicol/Getty Images Sport

The Celtic boss finally signed a player from the Scottish Premiership recently when Ben Siegrist joined on a free transfer from Dundee United, and he might well have been impressed with the 23-year-old Hibernian man.

Porteous was a stand-out performer for the Easter Road club in a game against the Hoops last season, when the teams drew 0-0 in February.

Celtic might have played poorly on that day, but it shouldn’t take away from how well Porteous did to prevent the Hoops from finding the back of the net.

If Celtic are interested in the player, then Hibernian will no doubt want a fair amount of money, as he is one of their most important players. However, as it stands there is only one year left on his contract, it expires in 2023. Hibernian will no doubt be trying to get the player to sign a new deal, but if Celtic are keen on the defender they should make a move soon whilst there is only a year left on the deal.

Of course, Porteous might not be keen to join the Hoops, as he would be going from first choice at one club to being a player who is not guaranteed a first-team spot at another club. 

Ian MacNicol/Getty Images Sport

On the other hand, Celtic can offer Champions League football and likely higher wages, so there would be a lot for the player to think about if Celtic did make an offer.

This is all just hypothetical at the moment, as it stands there is no interest from Celtic in the centre-back. But if the Hoops do need to sign a centre-back before the transfer window closes, then perhaps Porteous is an option that the Hoops will look to pursuit.

Only time will tell on that front, but it will be interesting to see if Celtic start to sign more players from Scotland after the recent arrival of Ben Siegrist.