Celtic are on the trail of Manchester City's young midfielder Olivier Ntcham.

The 21-year-old Frenchman – capped at various youth levels up to Under-21 – has spent the last two seasons on loan with Genoa.

The Italian club have not taken up an option to buy, alerting Celtic to the availability of a player noted for his powerful running and long-range shooting. Torino are also thought to be keen to take the player back to Serie A.

Celtic are on the trail of Manchester City's young midfielder Olivier Ntcham (left)

Brendan Rodgers is keen to make a fresh addition to his midfield armoury and had been linked with a move for Chelsea prospect Charly Musonda.

However, Ntcham is now thought to head the list of options, with Rodgers admitting on Friday he hoped to make progress on an unnamed target over the weekend.

Completion of a deal would also extend the transfer links between City and Celtic in recent seasons. They have taken Jason Denayer, John Guidetti and Patrick Roberts on loan from the Etihad - and spent around £1.5million on centre-back Dedryck Boyata, who is now facing up to three months out with knee ligament damage.

Ntcham has spent the last two seasons on loan at Genoa

Meanwhile, Rodgers hopes Celtic can again fly the flag in this season's Champions League after another dispiriting week for Scottish football.

Rangers and St Johnstone both crashed out of the first qualifying round of the Europa League to inflict further damage on an already battered co-efficient.

Rodgers' side must stand apart from that trend as they look to at least match last year's achievement of reaching the group stage of the continent's elite tournament. Celtic face their first qualifier against Linfield next Friday.

'For Celtic we create our own standards, we're not reliant on another club or someone else, we have to set our own benchmark,' he insisted.

'But, of course, in the bigger picture, my feel is for Scotland because I want Scotland to do well and have teams - not just a team but have teams - that can go in and represent.

'Scotland, over many years, has been a wonderful football nation – one that's produced many great players and many great managers. So it's clearly been a hotbed for football but there is a problem, there is an issue.

'And the only way you do that is by getting your teams progressing and doing well in European football.

'Of course, you need to do well domestically to get the opportunity for Europe.

'You cannot control every other team but it would be nice, of course, for the co-efficient to be at a much higher level. But you have to win.'

Celtic complete their warm-up games for the Champions League qualifiers with a friendly against Shamrock Rovers this afternoon.

It speaks volumes about the current state of the Scottish game that the Dublin club managed what proved beyond both Rangers and Saints, reaching the second round of Europa League qualifying with victory over Icelanders Stjarnan.

Rovers are, however, already 21 games into the domestic season. Asked if Scottish football should consider an earlier start, Rodgers said: 'It is difficult. If your season finishes on May 27 and you start on June 19, how early can you start? Rangers had a month, didn't they, and they still went out.

'We'll be three weeks and we're into a Champions League qualifier. I don't think you can start any earlier. To give the boys the recovery - and also the mental recovery - they need to have some sort of time.'