Figures close to Celtic have told GIVEMESPORT of some of the problems behind the scenes at the club. 

What is the latest Celtic news? 

Yesterday, we revealed that John Kennedy remains in the running for the managerial role on a full-time basis after Eddie Howe was convinced by people close to him that there's a chance he could get a job in the Premier League this summer. 

Still, the problems seem to run much deeper than whether or not Celtic can land Howe. 

Sources close to the club speak of mixed messages from the top as to what direction the club will go in amid reports they are looking for a director of football, with the level of investment likely to be put into this summer's rebuild still unclear. 

Do players want to leave Celtic?

Yes. 

Kristoffer Ajer and Odsonne Edouard are two players keen to ensure they get moves this summer. Ideally, Celtic would be able to keep both but, given they are in the final years of their contract, even the chance of selling them for big fees look remote as things stand. 

Leicester City want to bring Edouard across the border but have so far proven unwilling to match the Scottish giants' £20m valuation. While a £15m bid is likely, Celtic do owe Paris Saint-Germain a substantial sell-on clause of up to 50%. 

Ajer, meanwhile, simply isn't in demand as he once was. Newcastle United and Norwich City are interested in a move but Leicester have pulled out of the race, much as AC Milan did last summer. 

Who could Celtic sign this summer? 

Notionally, there are transfer targets but it's unclear if a manager as high profile as Howe joining would change that. 

GMS understands a deal to bring Palace midfielder James McCarthy is at an advanced stage with the only genuine hold-up being the identity of Celtic's next boss, while Declan Gallagher of Motherwell and Siriki Dembele of Peterborough have also been eyed. 

What has Michael Ball said about Celtic? 

Speaking to Football FanCast recently, former Rangers defender Michael Ball suggested the club's supporters were keen to see a big name arrive in the dugout this summer. 

“Speaking to a lot of Celtic fans, they’re reaching for the top, they want the best of the best," he said. 

"I think there’s obviously a lot of talk about Eddie Howe right now, but Celtic… their demands as fans are huge and they want to push Steven Gerrard as much as possible to bridge that gap, so they want the biggest names available."