Celtic transfer exits to be rubber-stamped as Brendan Rodgers allows Parkhead fringe trio to move on
The Hoops boss is wasting no time clearing the decks at Parkhead this summer
Brendan Rodgers is expected to green light transfer exits for another three Celtic fringe men in the coming days with Adam Montgomery, Kwon Hyeok-kyu and Marco Tilio all due to move on.
The Scottish champions have already managed to offload unwanted trio Maik Nawrocki, Luis Palma and Gustaf Lagerbielke in recent weeks, while third-choice goalkeeper Scott Bain signed for Falkirk.
Now the Hoops boss will trim down his squad even further with forgotten full-back Montgomery - who still has another two years left on his contract - set to join newly-promoted Premiership side Livingston on a season-long loan.
According to the Daily Record, the West Lothian outfit are ‘closing in’ on a deal for the 23-year-old, with boss David Martindale fending off competition on both sides of the border to secure Montgomery’s signature.
Montgomery has remained on the first-team fringes at Parkhead for a number of years, gaining senior experience on loan at Aberdeen, St Johnstone, Motherwell and Fleetwood Town.
He spent the second half of last season with Championship side Queen’s Park, but has failed to convince Rodgers in pre-season training that he is worthy of being part of the Irishman’s short-term plans.
Midfielder nears France switch after failing to play a single minute
Meanwhile, fellow outcast Kwon is nearing a permanent exit with reports in France claiming FC Nantes will offer him a platform to get his faltering career back on track.
The South Korean midfielder arrived in Glasgow’s east end two years ago from Busan IPark in his homeland but he struggled to make an impact and was quickly offloaded to St Mirren and Hibs across two separate loan spells.
Quest-France state the Kwon is now ‘on the verge’ of a move to Nantes, who are currently in the market for a defensive midfielder to strengthen manager Luis Castro’s options in the middle of the park following the recent departures of two senior players.
The 24-year-old, who was previously linked with a move to Austria Vienna earlier in the summer, will undergo a medical before putting pen to paper on a three-year deal.
He remains contracted to Celtic until 2028, but that deal will be terminated without any issues having failed to play a single competitive game for the club.
Kwon could be followed out the door by winger Tilio, who has been bombed out he first-team picture under Rodgers.
Rapid Vienna are in pole position to strike an initial loan deal with an obligation to buy for around £1.5million after he reaches a set number of appearances.
Marco Tilio snubs move to former club in favour of Austrian transfer
It comes after Tilio’s former club Melbourne City confirmed the 23-year-old had turned down the opportunity to return to Australia in favour of a second crack at European football.
He spent last season Down Under, but Melbourne have conceded they were unable to persuade the player to head back there.
Director of football Michael Petrillo said: “He has been a tremendous player for our Club - not just for what he’s produced on the pitch, but also for the way he’s conducted himself as a professional.
“He’s played a major role across two successful stints with City and we’ve all enjoyed watching him develop into one of the country’s brightest attacking talents. While we were keen to extend his stay and continued discussions with Celtic, we fully support Marco’s ambition to once again challenge himself in Europe.
“We thank him for everything he’s contributed to Melbourne City and wish him every success in the next stage of his career.”