Celtic to spend big in summer?

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has hinted that the club could be preparing to break the bank in the transfer market this summer.

The Hoops are currently top of the standings in the Scottish Premiership by a 27-point margin and are a club-record 29 domestic games unbeaten this season.

The side had a disappointing showing in the Champions League, however, where they were ousted by Israeli side Hapoel Be'er Sheva in the playoffs, and Rodgers has said that he is keen to strengthen in order to perform better in the European showpiece next term.

"We will always push to make a signing if it is right for the club and right for the team," he told reporters. "I have never been given a ceiling. I'll always look to bring the best possible players here - but I won't bring anyone in for the sake of it.

"We've had players offered here who might sound great in terms of names but they aren't going to help Celtic. I need players who are coachable, who are hungry and have quality, whether they are experienced or not. The model has been to develop and move them on. I just think that will happen naturally. If someone gets offered a load of money then there is a timeline on it.

"But we need players who want to take Celtic forward. Whether they are a million quid, £6m, £7m or whatever, the club know I will bring that to them. Money, from what I have seen and my experience, distorts reality. You want to keep a cohesive group, a tight-knit squad, you want to pay players what they are worth. Sometimes the market, depending on where you get them from, can be over-inflated.

"But if a player we feel is worth it I will always look to convince the board that we can do that because the Celtic supporters deserve the best players."

The club's record transfer fee currently stands at £6m, set 20 years ago when they completed the signings of Neil Lennon and Chris Sutton.