Brendan Rodgers confirms Celtic poised to sign Chelsea starlet Charly Musonda

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has confirmed his side are on the brink of signing Chelsea starlet Charly Musonda after interest from 24 clubs across Europe.

Musonda, 21, arrived in Glasgow on Monday morning [29 January] to complete a move which will be seen as a major coup for the Scottish champions, with clubs from the Premier League, Serie A and La Liga among those to miss out.

The Belgium Under-21 international is now set to join the Bhoys on an 18-month loan deal with Rodgers confirming the move is now only subject to a medical.

"It is subject to the medical, but he is a really excited prospect," the former Swansea City and Liverpool boss told a press conference ahead of Tuesday's [30 January] league clash against Hearts. "Twenty-four clubs were in for Charly so it is a great coup for us. He is one of the shining lights in the Chelsea academy."

Musonda's only previous loan spells away from Stamford Bridge was in Spain with Real Betis. The Belgian excelled during his first spell at the club during the second half of the 2015-16 season but made just one starting appearance following his return for the 2016-17 campaign, prompting Chelsea to terminate the deal in January last year.

Competing with Eden Hazard, Pedro and Willian for a spot in the starting XI, Musonda has remained on the periphery of Antonio Conte's first-team squad this term and has been limited to just six appearances in all competitions – just two of those starts.

Musonda was an unused sub as Chelsea cruised to a 3-0 win over Newcastle United in an FA Cup fourth round tie on Sunday [28 January]

Bournemouth, Watford, Newcastle United and West Bromwich Albion were among the Premier League sides interested in taking the youngster on loan this month, with Sevilla, AS Roma and Fiorentina interested parties from overseas.