Celtic-linked striker David Strelec was left out of the starting line-up for Slovan Bratislava on Saturday, just days after the Slovak side were knocked out of the Champions League qualifiers.

Slovan lost on penalties to Kairat Almaty last Tuesday, with the Kazakh side now set to face Celtic in the play-off round on Wednesday night.

It’s been a busy week for Strelec, whose name has been mentioned frequently in transfer talk. After Slovan’s European hopes ended, the 24-year-old started on the bench against Skalica and only came on for the final 24 minutes of their 1-0 win.

With reported interest in the player behind the scenes, his limited involvement at the weekend has raised more questions about his future.

Adding to the noise, Strelec’s father, Milan, told local media that both Celtic and Rangers are interested in signing his son. Celtic have already shown serious interest, having had a bid knocked back in January. At the time, the Hoops were prepared to pay around £7 million, but Slovan were looking for something closer to £9 million.

Now, with no Champions League income to fall back on, Slovan could be forced to lower their asking price. Without that European money and with Strelec’s contract situation also in play, the club might be more open to letting him go before the window shuts.

Celtic are still keeping a close eye on how things develop. Brendan Rodgers is keen to bring in another forward, and Strelec matches the type of player the club have been tracking,  someone with experience in Europe and room to grow.

With Slovan now out of the Champions League and fresh confirmation of interest from both sides of Glasgow, the chance to do a deal may come sooner rather than later. Whether Celtic move quickly remains to be seen, and it might come down to how serious Rangers are about joining the chase.