12 clubs battle it out for Roberts

with Jonny Hayes formally agreeing terms yesterday after Celtic and Aberdeen shook on a £1.3m deal for the Republic of Ireland internationalist with Ryan Christie going back to Pittodrie for a 12 month loan stint.

There was interest in Hayes from Cardiff too, but it is believed that the player was keen to work with Rodgers again after being part of the youth set up at Reading under the Celtic manager.

Hayes scored 11 goals for Aberdeen last season – two of them against Celtic. He signed for Aberdeen on a free transfer from Inverness in 2012, making nearly 200 appearances and scoring 30 goals for the Dons.

While Celtic will look to strengthen this summer, the club are keen to keep the nucleus of the side together.

A new deal is set to be imminent for Callum McGregor who worked his way into Rodgers’ plans last season. The midfielder came to prominence in the latter half of the campaign and Celtic are reported to be keen on tying him up on a long-term contract.

Also on the transfer front, Jozo Simunovic is believed to be attracting attention from the English Premier League with Newcastle, Huddersfield and Burnley keeping tabs on the 22-year-old Croatian defender.

He was on the brink of moving to Torino last year only for the deal to fall through at the last minute and he went on to firmly establish himself in Brendan Rodgers’ team last season.

The player has also been scouted by Spartak Moscow and although Simunovic would command a fee of around £8m, neither he nor Celtic are in any rush to push a deal through.

Zoran Krneta, the player’s agent, said: “We have clubs showing an interest but no offers have been made.

“I’m sure Peter Lawwell will let us know if an offer is accepted but until then he is looking forward to next season with Celtic.’

Meanwhile, Aiden McAdams, a youth goalkeeper at Celtic is believed to be on the brink of crossing the city to sign for Rangers.