Could Charly Musonda signing spell the end for Celtic’s Gary Mackay-Steven?

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Gary Mackay-Steven has been linked with Sheffield United but remains a Celtic player – though the arrival of Chelsea’s Charly Musonda could change that.

If Celtic fans are excited about the prospect of Charly Musonda strutting his stuff at Parkhead next season, they have every right to be.

The 20-year-old may not have made his senior bow in Chelsea colours but the Belgium Under-21 international is one of the most exciting attacking talents in world football.

Dedryck Boyata, who has known Musonda for eight years, went as far as to describe his compatriot as the future of Belgian football and the next locally sourced superstar to join the ranks of Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne, Yannick Carrasco and Dries Mertens, the Daily Mail reports.

Charly Musonda has all the tools to be a revelation at Celtic

And, according to the Daily Mail, Celtic are in talks with Chelsea over a potential £5 million permanent move, although a loan deal is also a possibility.

However, if there’s one person not too enamoured by the potential arrival of this fleet-footed attacker, who was simply remarkable during a short-term loan spell at Real Betis in the back end of the 2015/16 season, it’s Gary Mackay-Steven.

Forced out?

The 26-year-old, who arrived alongside Stuart Armstrong from Dundee United in the winter of 2015, endured a miserable season despite Celtic securing a domestic treble. In fact, Mackay-Steven only started four Scottish Premiership games all season as he struggled to break into Brendan Rodgers’ first-team plans.

As such, long-time admirers Sheffield United had entered informal negotiations, according to The Star, although Celtic’s demands for a fee up to £750,000 cast the deal in some doubt.

Celtic’s Gary Mackay-Steven has failed to win over Brendan Rodgers

Yet, the arrival of yet another attacker on the green side of Glasgow would only push the Scot further down the pecking order. In short, Musonda’s arrival could be the final straw that paves the way for Mackay-Steven to bring an end to two-and-a-half disappointing years in Celtic colours.

Though, with The Star claiming that Aberdeen have cooled their interest and Sheffield United are far from securing a deal, the diminutive winger could be forgiven for fearing another year stuck in the stands.