Celtic central defender Stephen Welsh is on the verge of completing a move to Swansea City, with the Championship club set to make the 26-year-old their opening transfer of the summer window.

Welsh came through the academy at Celtic and has accumulated 70 senior appearances for the Glasgow club. His most recent campaign was spent largely on loan at Motherwell, where he made 31 appearances in the Scottish Premiership for Celtic's top-flight rivals.

Prior to that, Welsh gained further experience away from Celtic Park with a loan spell at Belgian club Mechelen, and an earlier temporary stint at Morton during the formative years of his senior career.

Defensive reinforcements a priority

Swansea head coach Vitor Matos has identified central defence as an area requiring reinforcement heading into the new season. Ben Cabango and Cameron Burgess formed the first-choice partnership at the back for Swansea last season, while Ricardo Santos featured on a more limited basis.

The vacancy left by Kaelan Casey also remains unaddressed — the defender's season-long loan from West Ham was terminated in January, and no replacement has been brought in since. Welsh's arrival would go some way towards addressing those concerns at the back.