Celtic are pushing to complete as many as four new signings before their UEFA Europa League squad must be registered by Wednesday night, assistant manager Shaun Maloney has confirmed.

The Scottish champions have already brought in four first-team players during the current transfer window. The club have been linked with Wolverhampton Wanderers goalkeeper Sam Johnstone, Parma midfielder Oliver Sorensen, and PSV Eindhoven midfielder Joel van den Berg.

Left-back cover and midfield profile

Maloney highlighted a left-back position as one of the priority areas, with the club looking to bring in competition for Scotland international Kieran Tierney, who has started the season in strong form.

"Kieran's started the season really well," Maloney said. "You're never quite sure how this season's going to go with all the World Cup guys because of such a short break. We need that back-up in that position. We need somebody to keep challenging KT."

He also stressed the need to find a midfielder who can replicate what Arne Engels brought to the side — a player offering a different profile in terms of energy, pace, and power.

"There's certain things that Arne brought that we need to replace and the quicker we do that, it gives us just that extra dimension, extra speed, extra power within that midfield," Maloney added.

Hatate's future uncertain

Maloney acknowledged it is "possible" that Japan international Reo Hatate could depart before the transfer window closes. Hatate has scored 33 goals in 191 appearances for Celtic since signing in January 2022 and has been a key figure in the club's recent success.

"He's a brilliant player. What he's done at the club has been really, really good. He's won many titles here," Maloney said. "If he does move on, then he'll remember how good a player he was for this club."

Striker area also in focus

When asked about the possibility of signing 18-year-old Chelsea forward Shim Mheuka on loan, Maloney was cautious, saying it was "pretty difficult to talk about" potential signings and that "nothing's confirmed with anyone."

"Any signing in that striker area, it'll either transpire in the next 24, 48 hours, or we'll just go as we are," he explained.

The Scottish transfer deadline falls on Thursday at 17:00 BST, but with the UEFA Europa League squad registration closing a day earlier at 23:59 on Wednesday, Celtic are prioritising deals that can be completed in time for European competition.

"All the guys that we'd be looking to try and bring in — with that European deadline — we want to try and get them in the squad if we can," Maloney said. "You're looking at three or four key positions, and if there's any more than that, the thinking of the club will be for the future."