Celtic appear to have clarified their defensive plans today by rejecting a transfer bid from Belgian club KV Mechelen for Stephen Welsh.

The Lennoxtown youth academy product, 24, has drawn interest from overseas following a difficult season plagued by injuries last time out, which limited him to just 14 appearances in all competitions, with 10 of those coming in the Scottish Premiership.

Looking at Brendan Rodgers' hierarchy, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Liam Scales are the established first-choice central defenders.

Despite this, Welsh made a strong impression during Celtic's pre-season tour in the United States and is believed to still be considered a valuable asset to Rodgers’ squad.

Celtic also boasts additional options in central defence, including Gustaf Lagerbielke, Maik Nawrocki, and Yuki Kobayashi.

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Reports from Sky Sports on Tuesday indicate that the Glasgow club have communicated to KV Mechelen that Welsh is not available for transfer at this time.

The Belgian Pro League side had proposed a loan deal for Welsh at the end of July, but Celtic are currently reviewing its defensive situation and prefers to retain Welsh for the foreseeable future.

Celtic got their league title defence off to a flyer on Sunday when they beat Kilmarnock 4-0 and expectations are high that they can build on the Double-winning campaign from last season.