Celtic want Liverpool's Caoimhin Kelleher as Joe Hart replacement?

Celtic have reportedly identified Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher as their primary target to replace Joe Hart.

The 36-year-old joined the Hoops under the tutelage of former boss Ange Postecoglou two years ago and has since established himself as the club's number one, making 109 appearances across all competitions.

Hart kept 20 clean sheets in 50 appearances for Celtic in all tournaments last season as the Glaswegian giants won a historic Scottish Premiership, Scottish League Cup and Scottish Cup treble.

The former England international has now entered the final year of his contract at Parkhead and speculation over his long-term future at Celtic has surfaced since the appointment of manager Brendan Rodgers.

Earlier this summer, Rodgers admitted that Hart's future at Celtic will be 'assessed over time', amid suggestions that he may struggle as a sweeper keeper, but he acknowledged that the experienced shot-stopper will be an invaluable member of his first-team squad.

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"It's for me to assess everything but I have always liked Joe. He's 36 but he trains so hard every day and he's a great influence around this changing room," Rodgers told reporters as quoted by The Scottish Sun. "That will be really important and you can never underestimate that.

"He is undervalued in terms of what he can do with his feet. I don't need him to be Ederson at Man City — I just need him to keep the ball out of the net. Then when the ball comes back to him, I just need him to play simple.

"From what I have seen so far, and from Celtic games in the past, I think he can do that. So yeah, that question maybe applies for later on, but as I see Joe now, he's been fantastic for Celtic and a great influence. Like I say, I will assess it over time."

Despite that, The Sun reports that Rodgers is looking for a long-term replacement for Hart and has identified Republic of Ireland international Kelleher as his preferred target.

The report adds that Kelleher was hoping to leave Liverpool this summer and missed out on a possible Premier League move, but the goalkeeper is expected to depart in the near future.

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Celtic are said to have enquired about Kelleher's availability during the summer transfer window, but were informed by Liverpool that he would not be leaving Anfield amid uncertainty over the future of Alisson Becker, who was being linked with a potential switch to Saudi Arabia.

Since making his competitive debut for Liverpool in September 2019, Kelleher has had to play second fiddle behind Alisson, making just 21 appearances in all competitions.

Kelleher made just one Premier League appearance last season – starting in the thrilling 4-4 draw at Southampton on the final day of the campaign – while he featured a further three times across the EFL Cup and FA Cup.

Celtic managed to lure one player away from Liverpool over the summer, as they completed the signing of defender Nat Phillips on a short-term loan deal until January.