Celtic go into Monday's Champions League qualifying play-off draw under mounting pressure to strengthen their squad ahead of first-leg ties scheduled for August 18/19.
The draw will be made from a pool of non-seeded sides that includes Lask, Viking, Aarhus, Sabah, Celje, Ararat-Armenia, Levski Sofia and Kairat Almaty, the club that knocked Celtic out at the same stage 12 months ago. Celtic enter as a seeded team after Aarhus beat Lech Poznan on penalties, a result that also put AEK Athens into the seeded bracket alongside the Scottish club.
The Parkhead club has spent £17 million on forwards Kasper Hogh and Camilo Duran, but £10 million was recouped from the sale of Daizen Maeda. Arne Engels, Alistair Johnston and Reo Hatate are all expected to depart for significant fees, leaving the squad short in several areas.
Named targets include SC Paderborn's Mika Baur and Haissem Hassan of Real Oviedo, though pressure is growing on CEO Michael Nicholson and the board to move more quickly and on a larger scale. The Celtic board drew heavy criticism last summer after a transfer window that followed the costly Champions League exit, and the response to that criticism only deepened supporter anger.
Bowie targets Scotland role after Sassuolo switch
Kieron Bowie is poised for a move to Sassuolo worth more than £10 million following his debut Serie A season with Verona, which ended in relegation but included 14 starts and four goals against Inter, Juventus, Bologna and Torino.
Bowie, who turns 24 next month, joined Verona from Hibs. A full season in Emilia-Romagna gives him the platform to push for a regular place in Scotland's attack heading into the era of Steve Clarke's successor.
The striker position is among several problem areas for whoever takes the Scotland job. Lyndon Dykes and Che Adams have failed to convince at major tournament level, while Ross Stewart, George Hirst and Lawrence Shankland have all been limited in their recent international contributions.
