Celtic are in talks to sign Schalke centre-back Malick Thiaw, according to reports in the Italian media.

It’s likely that the prospect of signing the German Under 21 international was raised when Schalke made their move to snap up Christopher Jullien.

The Bundesliga club are expected to secure the Frenchman’s services on loan with an option to buy, but it appears that a very talented young player could soon be moving in the opposite direction.

Thiaw has been scouted by the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal over the past few years, and the 20-year-old established himself as a regular starter in Schalke’s first team last season, helping his side to promotion back to the top flight.

Whether these claims from Italy will be backed up by sources in England, we shall have to wait and see, but it would be a tremendous coup if Hoops boss Ange Postecoglou did manage to sign the young defender.

You can catch all the latest Celtic transfer news through our own extended coverage here, plus you can see all the latest reports from the quality publishers featured on our aggregation page.