Celtic are very close to agreeing a long-term contract with interim head of recruitment Nick Hammond, according to reports in the Scottish media.

The former West Ham and Reading recruitment chief was brought in to help manager Neil Lennon with transfers in June and has reportedly impressed chief executive Peter Lawwell with his performance.

Celtic made a number of signings late on in the summer transfer window, having struggled to make much headway before the start of the season.

The likes of Mohamed Elyounoussi, Greg Taylor and Moritz Bauer all were snapped up with just days to spare, while some of the early recruits like Christopher Jullien, Boli Bolingoli and Hatem Abd Elhamed have also performed very well.

Hammond has been given an endorsement from Lennon himself, which means the working relationship between the pair is good, and that may have swayed the decision into giving him a longer deal.