Spartak Moscow are ready to make their “first bid” for Celtic centre-back Carl Starfelt, according to Football Scotland deputy editor Mark Hendry.

The reliable journalist claims that the Russian side are expected to begin talks to sign the defender in the “coming days”.

Starfelt has been a key player for the Hoops over the last two years since arriving from Rubin Kazan in a deal worth €5m (£4.2m) in the summer of 2021.

The Swedish international has won five major trophies during that time, including two Scottish Premiership titles.

While Starfelt has been criticised by the fanbase on occasion, he has struck up a formidable partnership with fellow centre-half Cameron Carter-Vickers.

Over the past two seasons, Celtic have conceded only 56 league goals, which is an average of just 0.74 goals per match, with Starfelt having featured in 62 out of a possible 76 fixtures.

Have Celtic already brought in a replacement?

At the time of writing, the Scottish champions have not officially announced the signing of Maik Nawrocki from Legia Warsaw.

However, the Polish Under 21 international is expected to join Celtic for a fee worth around £4m. There is a possibility that he has been brought in to replace Starfelt.

Following Nawrocki’s arrival, manager Brendan Rodgers will have five centre-backs at his disposal, including Carter-Vickers, Stephen Welsh, Yuki Kobayashi and Starfelt, so someone is likely to leave.

Whether Nawrocki has the experience to be a regular starter straight away, it up for debate. He has only played 63 games in his senior career despite being 22 years of age. That lack of game time does raise some concerns but you don’t spend £4m on a player just so he can sit on the bench.

In terms of Starfelt, nothing is set in stone when it comes to his potential departure, but it is a situation to keep an eye on.