Celtic have been active throughout the summer transfer window so far as they have bolstered Brendan Rodgers' squad with six new additions.
Who have Celtic signed this summer?
The first two signings of the Northern Irish head coach's second spell at Parkhead were Norwegian midfielder Odin Thiago Holm and Australia international Marco Tilio.
South Korean duo Hyeok-kyu Kwon and Hyun-jun Yang then both arrived to bolster the manager's midfield options before central defenders Gustaf Lagerbielke and Maik Nawrocki arrived to strengthen the backline.
However, the Bhoys still have just over a week to get any further business over the line and they were recently touted with an interest in Nantes left-back Quentin Merlin, who could be available for a fee within the region of €8m (£6.8m).
How good is Quentin Merlin?
The French dynamo was described as a "serious talent" by scout Jacek Kulig and this is backed up by his impressive performances in Ligue 1 at such a young age.
Despite only turning 21 in May of this year, Merlin enjoyed an impressive 2022/23 campaign with Nantes and his arrival could allow Rodgers to ruthlessly ditch Alexandro Bernabei.
The 21-year-old ace averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.92 across 24 Ligue 1 outings and caught the eye with his contributions at both ends of the pitch.
He made an impact in the final third with 1.5 key passes per game and seven 'big chances' created in total, whilst no Celtic left-back managed more than 1.3 key passes per clash, as the talented dynamo provided his teammates with consistent creativity down the left flank.
Merlin also showcased his defensive awareness and strength with 2.2 tackles and interceptions per match and a duel success rate of 54%, which shows that the young prospect was able to hold his own in physical contests.
The Nantes star could come in to provide Greg Taylor with serious competition for the starting spot at left-back and this would leave Bernabei as the third-choice option in that position, which could place his short-term future at Parkhead in doubt after his poor performances last term.
During the 2022/23 campaign, the Argentine defender, who was recently left out of the squad against Ross County due to being late for a team meeting, struggled badly after his move to Parkhead in January.
He averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.55 across 15 Scottish Premiership outings, which was the 28th-highest score within the squad, and made one key pass per match, whilst the 22-year-old dud also lost 60% of his individual duels.
These statistics show that the Hoops flop delivered consistently disappointing displays for the club and was dominated by opposition attackers in physical battles.
This suggests that Merlin would be a significant upgrade on Bernabei due to his strength in duels and his ability to perform to a higher level on a consistent basis, whilst also being able to create more chances per game from left-back.
Therefore, Rodgers could brutally ditch the current Bhoys defender from the squad, whether that means leaving him out of the matchday teams or allowing him to leave the club before the deadline, by bringing the France U21 international to Parkhead.