Western Sydney Wanderers boss Marko Rudan has dismissed news linking midfielder Calem Nieuwenhof to Celtic as "false", adding he is instead looking to bolster his squad with a marquee forward.
Nieuwenhof has impressed for the Wanderers since joining from A-League Men rivals Sydney FC in the off-season.
The 21-year-old's form has led to speculation he will be departing for Ange Postecoglou's Celtic with the potential to be loaned back, but Rudan poured cold water over a potential move to Glasgow.
"I made a joke to Calem about it in front of the players," Rudan said.
"It's the first me, Calem or Ange had heard about it.
"You're always going to get that ... he's a player I trust and he's been one of the standouts in the league.
"It's welcome good news (that he's being talked up), albeit in this case it (the link) is false.
"It's great for people in the pub to have a chat about. He's the kind of guy who'll keep his feet planted and continue to try to improve."
The Wanderers boss, whose side face the Newcastle Jets on Sunday, said he was intent on adding firepower to his forward line in the January transfer window.
Rudan's side has struggled for goals with Kusini Yengi battling injury and Bosnian forward Sulejman Krpic failing to find form.
But the Western Sydney manager is hopeful he can add a marquee player (whose pay would sit outside the salary cap), to power them into the finals for the first time since 2017.
"We don't have a marquee, like other teams," Rudan said.
"We've got a designated spot, I've left money on the side for moments like this because you never know what might happen during the season.
"We've not done too badly up until this point so it allows us to strengthen this team with the backing of our chairman."
