Declan Rice to Celtic transfer near miss revealed as Brendan Rodgers details importance of getting deals done early

Brendan Rodgers has revealed Celtic were close to signing current Arsenal and England star Declan Rice during his first spell in charge at Parkhead - but a transfer failed to materialise after the midfielder sustained an injury.

The Hoops boss is hopeful of adding ready-made players to his squad that can make an instant impact this month after an underwhelming summer window, but he highlighted the complicated nature of finalising January transfer deals by confessing he previously attempted to pull off a sensational swoop for the ex-West Ham United midfielder.

Rice, who moved to the Gunners in a record deal worth £105million in the summer after captaining the Hammers to Europa Conference League glory, was targeted by Rodgers for a move to Parkhead in 2017 before an injury crisis at the East London club presented him with his first-team breakthrough.

While supporters are demanding early transfer activity, Rodgers knows all too well that negotiations with several top talents this month can be difficult to push over the line. The Northern Irishman insists he has the full support of the board and head of recruitment Mark Lawwell.

Recalling his attempt to sign 48-time capped Rice, Rodgers stated: "Ideally you'd want to get them in. Deals can often be complicated, and things that might have been there for three or four months can fall away. That's always the challenge. It only takes one injury for a player who was lined up to come in.

"I remember when I was here the first time, we spent about three months looking for Declan Rice to come in. He was all set to come and all of a sudden they had an injury, he stayed and got in the team and the rest is history. That's not the club's fault. It's just the way it goes.

"We have a number of positions we want to prioritise. There are other positions where we won't be able to do anything until the summer. I know that but we want to improve the squad, and the club are very happy to support that."