Celtic have “recently” begun keeping tabs on RKC Waalwijk defender Ahmed Touba, according to reports in the French media.

The 24-year-old was given his international debut by Algeria last year and his performances in the Eredivisie last season have attracted the attention of a lot of clubs.

In addition to the Hoops, seven other teams have been tracking Touba, including Marseille, Angers, Olympiakos, AEK Athens, Real Betis, Bayer Leverkusen and Benfica.

The Algerian can play as either a centre-back or left-back, and his versatility (combined with his pace) could make him ideally suited for the Scottish champions.

Even though Cameron Carter-Vickers has signed on a permanent basis from Tottenham, Celtic are expected to be in the market for another central defender this summer. On top of the links to Touba, they have already been credited with an interest in Manchester City pair Ko Itakura and Taylor Harwood-Bellis, as well as Gent’s Joseph Okumu.