Celtic ready to swoop for Premier League defender in cut-price deal after bust-up at current club

Celtic are reportedly among a number of sides monitoring the situation of frozen-out Nottingham Forest defender Scott McKenna this month.

Brendan Rodgers has been tipped to dip into the January market given the defensive issues he currently has at Celtic Park, and McKenna has emerged as a top target.

The 27-year-old is heading towards the exit door at the City Ground after an alleged bust-up with the Forest owners.

McKenna has just six months remaining on his current contract, with January the last chance for Forest to command a fee for his services.

Football Insider reports that McKenna was frozen out of the Forest squad after a contract dispute between the defender’s agent and the club hierarchy led by Evangelos Marinakis and his son Miltiadis.

And that has seemingly opened the door for Celtic to swoop for the experienced Scotland international.

He last played for Forest in the 1-1 draw against Burnley on mid-September and has been forced to train separately from his teammates since.

McKenna has made a total of 105 appearances at the City Ground, scoring three times, having signed from Aberdeen back in 2020.

He was a key man as Steve Cooper’s side won promotion back to the Premier League via the playoffs in the 2021-22 campaign but became one of the victims of the club’s recruitment drive after their top-flight return.

During his time in Scotland, McKenna chalked up 118 appearances for Aberdeen after coming through the academy system at Pittodrie.

He has also won 33 caps for his country, scoring once, with his debut coming back in 2018.

Rodgers targets experienced defender

A makeshift Celtic defence recorded a hugely important 2-1 Old Firm win over Rangers last weekend to extend their lead at the top of the table to eight points.

However, Rodgers was hit by another injury when Stephen Welsh was forced off in the first-half and replaced by Maik Nawrocki.

The Pole started shakily but composed himself to impress in the end as Celtic held off a late Gers fightback.

But it appears that Rodgers wants a more experienced body on board and McKenna could well be that man.

READ MORE: Celtic midfielder tipped for exit amid West Ham links: ‘If someone comes in with a £25m-plus bid, I’d like to think he will be off’