Celtic have suffered a blow in their pursuit of Leighton Clarkson, with news from Football Insider reporter David Lynch that Aberdeen are now leading the race for the player's signature.

Are Celtic linked with Leighton Clarkson?

The current Liverpool player was given the chance to shine out on loan in the 2022/23 season, joining up with Aberdeen on a short-term basis to get valuable first-team minutes. He went on to manage more games than ever before in his career, featuring on 34 occasions as the side finished in third place. The 21-year-old also managed a haul of five goals and eight assists along the way – career best totals for the youngster.

Prior to his spell in the Scottish Premiership, his only other gametime had come during a loan with Blackburn. He managed only seven league games for the Championship side though and couldn't produce any goals or assists.

Given plenty of minutes in Scotland, he impressed many and there is now a race for his signature. Celtic are one of the clubs that had been mentioned as having a keen interest in the player this summer, with the Hoops eager to add him to their ranks.

Even though the club have been managerless, Brendan Rodgers is now close to securing the job and he could have been one of the first signings to arrive for the new boss.

However, according to a report from Football Insider, Celtic – and perhaps Rodgers – will not get their wish.

That's because Aberdeen are believed to now be leading the race to sign him above the league winners and it means that they could now miss out on his signature. Having had the player on loan last season, the Dons have the advantage of knowing the youngster well and it would likely not take much for him to slot back in.

Has Leighton Clarkson played for Liverpool?

The 21-year-old has never managed to play in the Premier League for Liverpool and it now appears that he could be off in pursuit of regular first-team football. It's unclear how much he would cost the interested parties, although CIES Football Observatory suggest his value is around 5 million Euros (or £4.2m).

It means that any deal would likely not break the bank for Clarkson and he could be a bargain deal for any club that does sign him. Considering the player is now experienced in Scotland and has the ability to both score and assist in the league, he looks like he could be a solid purchase for any club – and Celtic likely wouldn't be happy to therefore see him join Aberdeen.