‘It’s pretty simple’ - Celtic boss opens up on transfers amid Newcastle United & Leeds links

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has given his stance on transfers after the Scottish giants were linked with Newcastle United winger Ryan Fraser and Wolves star Daniel Podence.

The reigning Scottish Premiership champions are believed to be working hard to replace former star Jota after he made a big money move to Saudi Arabia Pro League club Al-Ittihad last month after scoring 28 goals and providing 26 assists in 83 appearances during his two-year stay with Celtic.

There had been speculation linking Scotland winger Fraser with a move back north of the border after he was frozen out of the first-team picture at Newcastle. The ex-Bournemouth star had high hopes he could shine at St James Park when he was reunited with former Cherries manager Eddie Howe but he has not feature for the Magpies since he came off the bench in a 1-0 home win against Everton in October last year.

Fraser has reportedly been told he has no future at St James Park and has been training with United’s Under-21s squad since February. The former Aberdeen winger has also been linked with Leeds United in recent weeks as they look to bounce back from relegation into the Championship at the first attempt.

Celtic boss Rodgers was asked about his interest in the Magpies star and Wolves winger Podence as he prepares his side for Sunday’s BetFred Cup tie against Premiership rivals Kilmarnock and gave a short response before going on to give his thoughts on the transfer process at the club.

When asked about updates on interest in Fraser and Podence, he said: "No, none at all.”

He continued: "It's pretty simple in terms of how it works. Ultimately, I will develop and coach the players the club provide me. And then the process of the club providing me players is that we have a great network of scouts headed up by Mark (Lawwell) who has done a fantastic job working within the model of the club which allows the club to be sustainable and successful at the same time.

"They have a pipeline of players there that all fit in and it's picking the profile that fits us best and of course I have a role in that. But they do a lot of the great work, watch players over numbers of months so that they have various players in each position. So whenever we do lose one there is a replacement to come in, like you see with Gustaf (Lagerbielke). But it's not always straightforward, it always takes time. Ultimately I will coach and develop the players I'm provided."