Celtic have reportedly reached an agreement with Italian giants AC Milan and an official announcement is expected soon.
The season is now over. Celtic managed to win the double. The league title was secured on the final day of the campaign with a win over then leaders Hearts in what will go down as the closest Premiership race in decades. The Scottish Cup triumph was a bit more routine, a 3-1 win over Neil Lennon's Dunfermline Athletic side.
There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding Celtic at the moment though. It is unclear which players will stay and who will leave. Even the managerial situation remains up in the air.
Martin O'Neill has not ruled himself out of the race yet and remains in contention despite being 74 years of age. On the other hand, there is Robbie Keane, who is now being viewed by many as the favourite for the role. Perhaps some more names could crop up over the next few days.
Celtic will need to start putting things in place for pre-season with not much time to go though. And it looks like a glamour friendly is set to be announced in the very near future.
As reported by Milannews.it, on July 25th, AC Milan will play in Glasgow against Celtic. It's not yet official, but an agreement has been reached between the two clubs.
If Celtic do end up bringing in a new manager, then pre-season will be a very important time for him to test out of the squad and get them to understand the style of football he wants to play.
Fans will remember how much discourse there was about Wilfried Nancy's side struggling because of not having a pre-season to test out his formation. Well, the next manager won't have that problem.
The game against AC Milan should be a good test of where Celtic are at this moment. It would also be a good opportunity to get used to the new signings who are set to arrive this summer. Hopefully, the club will show a bit of urgency and get things done quickly this time around.
In many ways, AC Milan are in a similar position to Celtic. They are set to bring in a new manager this summer.
For a little while, it had looked like Andoni Iraola was the frontrunner but now he seems headed to Liverpool after Arne Slot was sacked.
Mauricio Pochettino is believed to be a potential candidate for the role even though he is leading the United States at the home World Cup. Departing Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner is another.
Of course, Celtic won't be interested in that. And they are not going to be in contention for any of those managers either. Their focus will be on having a good pre-season and starting off brilliantly next time around, whether it is a new manager in charge or a returning O'Neill.
