OPINION
The future of Dedryck Boyata might appear up in the air at Celtic but the truth of the matter is that the Belgian will be leaving Parkhead either this month or in the summer.
The centre back seems to have no intentions of continuing his career with the Hoops, downing tools over the summer only to find himself reintegrated into the first team when no exit was forthcoming and has actually performed very well for Brendan Rodgers, putting the club first and his own desires second.
It is why the fans at Celtic Park will be so worried about his impending exit and with a lack of quality options at the heart of the defence, the Bhoys desperately need at least one new recruit to patch up their back line.
While the supporters wait to see if Boyata does leave, they should also keep an eye on midfield mainstay Olivier Ntcham, whose 30 appearances this season seems to have kept Porto interested in his capture after a failed summer hunt, according to O Jogo.
The Portuguese magazine claim that the French star, who is one of the first names on the team sheet at Celtic, is still wanted by the European outfit and that a bid is going to be made this week after their 2018 approach was rebuffed.
Now Ntcham has been a solid performer but nothing special this season and with more options in the middle of the park than in defence, any opportunity to fix the back line should not be missed.
It is for this reason that the Hoops must look at pulling off a shock swap deal with Porto involving Ntcham and former Newcastle United defender Chancel Mbemba, who moved to Portgual over the summer.
The 45-cap Democratic Republic of Congo ace has struggled for game time this season with just five appearances across all competitions but his time in the Premier League has shown he is a cut above the rest of Scotland.
A cash-plus-player move in favour of Celtic would definitely suit Brendan Rodgers down to the ground, giving him funds to reinvest while bolstering the defence with a quality player who can have the Hoops forgetting about Boyata in no time.
Mbemba would likely be open to a move in order to seal game time while Ntcham might appreciate a big money deal elsewhere – so this is a switch which gives everyone what they want.