An update has emerged on Celtic and their plans to add to Brendan Rodgers' squad before the end of the summer transfer window…
What's the latest Celtic transfer news?
According to French journalist Emmanuel Merceron, the Hoops are keeping tabs on FC Nantes left-back Quentin Merlin as they consider a sixth new signing, after the arrivals of Odin Thiago Holm, Marco Tilio, Hyeok-kyu Kwon, Hyun-jun Yang, and Maik Nawrocki.
The reporter has added that the Scottish giants are, however, yet to make a formal approach as it stands and that they are merely observing him at this time.
In response to a supporter asking how much the French dynamo would cost, Merceron claimed that the Hoops would need to pay at least €8m (£6.8m) to secure his services.
How good is Quentin Merlin?
The 21-year-old ace caught the eye with his performances in Ligue 1 for Nantes last season and Rodgers could land a big upgrade on current Bhoys left-back Greg Taylor by securing a swoop for him.
Merlin is an attacking full-back who has proven himself to be capable of consistently creating chances whilst also being a strong defender who can cut out opposition attacks on a regular basis.
The £6.8m gem made 1.5 key passes per match and created seven 'big chances' for his teammates across 24 appearances in the French top-flight last season.
Taylor, meanwhile, made 1.3 key passes per outing and only produced two 'big chances' at the top end of the pitch across the Scottish Premiership campaign.
Argentine left-back Alexandro Bernabei managed one key pass per clash for the Hoops and this means that Merlin outperformed all of Rodgers' current options in that position when it came to splitting open the opposition's defence.
What makes this more impressive is that Nantes only averaged 45.8% possession per game last term, whereas Celtic averaged 72.3% of the ball. This means that the Celtic full-backs had significantly more time to make things happen going forward and Merlin was still able to create more high-quality opportunities for his attackers.
The French prospect also showcased his defensive strength as he won 54% of his duels, whilst Taylor came out on top in 51% of his physical contests.
Merlin also went through the entire campaign without conceding a penalty or making an error directly leading to a shot or goal for the opposition, whereas the Scotland international gave away one spot-kick.
This suggests that the 5 foot 8 machine, who is a France U21 international, could offer a similar level of physical quality to the Scottish battler whilst not being a liability in defence as he is not prone to making big mistakes.
At the age of 21, the Nantes star would also come in as a signing for the future as well as the here and now – scout Jacek Kulig rated his potential as "9/10" and described him as a "complete" left-back, which is backed up by his aforementioned defensive and offensive statistics.
Rodgers could, therefore, sign a big Taylor upgrade by securing a deal for Merlin before the end of the window due to his ability to make a significant impact at the top end of the pitch whilst also having four years on the 25-year-old warrior to grow and develop.
