Celtic have been dealt a potential blow in their bid to sign Kyle Edwards, the Daily Record reports.

What's the latest transfer news involving Kyle Edwards?

The report discloses that the winger, who is available on a free transfer after leaving West Brom when his contract expired, is now a target for Championship side Reading.

The 23-year-old played 56 minutes of a friendly against Lincoln City on Saturday as a trialist.

Are Celtic keen on signing Edwards?

Edwards is a long-term target for the Hoops. The Bhoys were originally linked with a move for the Englishman in December, when it was reported that Celtic wanted to sign Edwards on loan for the second-half of this season.

That did not happen, but that hasn't stopped the Hoops from pursuing Edwards. Football Insider disclosed last week that Celtic had begun discussions with the winger to bring him to Parkhead.

The same outlet then reported that Edwards and the Glasgow club were discussing personal terms. However, as yet no deal has been done and Reading have taken the opportunity to have a look at the player by giving him a chance to impress on trial.

Why are Celtic targeting Edwards?

There seems to be two reasons for Celtic's interest in Edwards. Firstly, he is available on a free transfer. Any time that a club can sign a player without paying a major fee is a good thing, as it can allow for more money to be spent on other targets.

The Football Insider report on Celtic's interest in Edwards explains that the Hoops would need to pay a development fee for the winger, but that would only be around £300,000.

The second reason the Hoops will be keen to do a deal for Edwards is that the club are lacking players in his position.

Transfermarkt shows that Edwards' main position is as a left-sided midfielder, and when looking at the Celtic squad on Transfermarkt the Bhoys only have one squad member - Mikey Johnstone - who is a natural in that position.

Who could the Hoops turn to instead?

Should Celtic not be able to sign Edwards, then the Hoops could make a move for Boavista winger Alberth Elis. He is another attacker - like Edwards - who has been linked with a move to Glasgow for a long time.

Last year the Daily Record reported that the player had talks with former Hoops star Emilio Izaguirre about potentially joining the Bhoys.

More recently, A Bola disclosed that Boavista were expecting a bid from interested parties, Celtic potentially being one of them, for the 25-year-old.