Anthony Joseph delivers Gustaf Lagerbielke Celtic exit update as talks now advanced.

Gustaf Lagerbielke is a player many Celtic supporters have long suspected would leave the club this summer after he fell out fo favour with Brendan Rodgers.

Despite being signed by the Irishman last summer, the Swedish international has made just ten appearances in green and white, scoring once against Feyenoord in the Champions League.

In January, Lecce went close to bringing Lagerbielke to Italy before an injury to Cameron Carter-Vickers halted the move. They reignited their interest this summer, but the Serie A side haven’t managed to follow through on that front.

Eredivisie outfit Heerenveen opened talks with Celtic this week over a loan for the out-of-favour defender. Due to doubling their efforts, they are believed to be ahead of KV Mechelen for his signature.

He stated: “UPDATE: Heerenveen are in advanced talks with Celtic over a loan deal for centre-back Gustaf Lagerbielke. Celtic have been open to offers for the 24-year-old, who has struggled to break into the team following his £3m move from Elfsborg last summer.”

Now, it appears all that is left to do before a deal is completed is to ratify the final touches as Celtic prepare for life without Lagerbielke this season.

Previously, reports have suggested that the Bhoys could move for a central defender in the market if Lagerbielke, Maik Nawrocki or Yuki Kobayashi were to depart.

Ideally, Brendan Rodgers would have a core four options to pick from across the campaign. It will be interesting to see if the defensive line could change once Lagerbielke completed his switch to Heerenveen.

Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers has brought in goalkeepers Kasper Schmeichel and Viljami Sinisalo this summer to fight it out for a place between the sticks.

Expectedly, Schmeichel has come in as the preferred choice under the Irishman. However, there appears to be a succession plan in place, with Sinisalo primed for a future role in the starting