Andy Robertson has confirmed he will leave Liverpool at the end of the season, bringing clarity to a situation that has been building for months.
The Scotland captain had been linked with a move away, but this is the first time he has stated clearly that his time at Anfield is coming to an end. That alone changes the picture.
Celtic have been part of that conversation in the background. Reports have suggested Robertson could have signed a pre-contract at a club, although nothing has been confirmed.
Celtic will be looking at the back line this summer, and Robertson would likely walk straight into the team if a deal could be done.
He said: (Liverpool FC), “I think I feel better now that it’s out in the open.
“The closer it gets, the more and more questions you start to get. I’ve always said that the fans are the most important people at this club and I just think now is the time to tell them what’s going on and that obviously this will be my last year.
“I just think it’s better being out in the open, that now I can fully focus on the team from now until the end of the season.
“It’s never easy leaving a club like Liverpool, it has been a huge part of mine and my family’s life for the last nine years.
“But I know football moves on and I think now is the time for me to move on and go wherever my next move is.”
Celtic are in the frame, and the talk of a pre-contract deal keeps that link alive as the summer approaches.
There are still hurdles. His wages would need to fit, and there’s also the question of how he and Kieran Tierney would be used in the same side.
Marcelo Saracchi’s form adds another layer to it. He’s impressed when called upon, and that brings doubt over whether Celtic would look to keep him as part of the squad next season.
What is clear is the starting point. Robertson is leaving Liverpool. What Celtic do with that opportunity, and how it fits with the options already in place, will shape how the left side looks going into the next campaign.
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