Celtic manager Martin O’Neill has cast doubt on Maik Nawrocki’s future at the club.
Nawrocki, who spent last season on loan at Hannover 96, faces stiff competition from four centre-backs who are currently ahead of him in the team.
O'Neill said: "We have Cameron Carter-Vickers back, big Dane Murray whom I've got a lot of time for. Then you've got Liam Scales and you've got Auston Trusty at this minute.
"So, at the moment, we've got four. It's going to be hard for him to battle through from there. He's a really nice lad.
"I think himself, if he thought that there was a future here for him, I think he would like to stay and battle."
The Polish defender is attracting interest from both loan suitors and potential buyers, with O’Neill open to letting the 2023 signing move on in search of regular football. O'Neill said, "There are teams that want to take him on loan, there are teams that want to buy him, I believe, and that's great.
"You don't want to stop his momentum. Really, the way his career is going now, he doesn't want to get stalled here by sitting and being, like, third-choice centre, fourth-choice centre-half."
Nawrocki is not the only player facing uncertainty, as O’Neill confirmed that Michel-Ange Balikwisha and Paulo Bernardo are in a similar position.
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The pair impressed in pre-season but still face a fight for regular minutes. O'Neill said, "The same situation arises, so you've got a chance now, pre-season, some games.
"Balikwisha started in the games against Shelbourne and Sporting. Every single day during that time from January right through, he never moaned about anything, got on with it, trained hard.
"The same with Paulo, trained really hard, and the same again here. There might be things around the corner, I don't know that, but I'm not in any desperate rush to send them on their way.
"If they feel as if they can't get into the side, then obviously that's an issue."
In addition to player futures, Celtic are actively targeting a new goalkeeper following Kasper Schmeichel’s retirement.
O’Neill is keen to bring in genuine competition for Viljami Sinisalo. He said, "I thought he did really fine for us under really trying circumstances coming in, replacing the big fellow, so he's done fine at this minute.
"That was last season; it’s a new season. We need another goalkeeper. We've only got the two young lads, we've got Ross Doohan, and we've got Sinisalo, so we definitely need another goalkeeper.
"I don't want an older goalkeeper who thinks, ‘Well, I'm just going to be number two.’ I want somebody to be threatening.
"It has to be."
