Celtic defender Hayato Inamura could be on his way to the English Championship, with Birmingham City exploring a loan move for the Japanese full-back as part of a late-window double swoop.

The Blues have already agreed a deal worth over £3 million for Celtic winger Hyunjun Yang, who has travelled south ahead of a potential move. Now, they’re targeting Inamura — who only arrived at Parkhead this summer — with Celtic having made the 25-year-old available for loan.

Manager Chris Davies, Brendan Rodgers’ former assistant at both Celtic and Leicester, is keen to strengthen his side and has used his Parkhead connections in the final hours of the window. [Football League World]

Inamura made his Celtic debut last month in a 3-0 win over Livingston but was deemed not yet ready for the demands of regular first-team football by Rodgers. A loan spell was always the plan, and the 2pm 5-year-old now looks set to be given the opportunity to gain valuable experience in the English second tier.

Adding further intrigue to Birmingham’s deadline day activity is speculation linking former Celtic loanee Patrick Roberts with a return to the club. Currently at Sunderland, Roberts is believed to be open to a reunion with Davies.

Kyogo and Iwata are already at the club.

With the clock ticking down, Celtic could see two players head to St Andrew’s before the 7 pm cut-off.