Hibernian left-back Josh Doig has been left out of the squad that will take on Motherwell in their opening fixture of the season, as rumours of his exit intensify.

As reported by the Daily Record, interest from down south have been floating all summer with the likes of Arsenal, West Ham and Watford, to name a few, have all registered an interest.

The report states that several English sides are willing to meet Hibs asking price of around £5 million. Leaving him out of the squad this afternoon suggests that he could be edging closer to a departure.

Before their fixture against Motherwell, Hibs boss Jack Ross also admitted it is ‘highly likely’ that Doig will be leaving the club.

At points, Celtic have been mentioned as possibly being interested in bringing Doig to the club after a brilliant first season of first-team football at the Edinburgh side.

So should Celtic have made a move?

Of course, at this point, with the price tag Hibs are looking at and interest from sides down south, it is unlikely that the Hoops would make a move, and if they did, would be priced out.

However, the advantage we might have had is that he plays in Scotland and possibly could have been spotted earlier, giving us the advantage to move earlier.

Left-back is very much a problem area of the field now, so it could also be considered a risk throwing a youngster in and making him the first-choice at Celtic.

Ultimately though, Doig is looking like he is going to make a move down south. This sort of deal for a Scottish youngster like Doig just might have come at the wrong time for Celtic, or who knows, maybe we will be in for a surprise.