Celtic are in talks to sign a massive £2.5m upgrade for Liam Scales

Despite winning the game, Celtic defender Liam Scales was trending for the wrong reasons among fans after clashing with Hibernian at Easter Road.

The Irish international produced a sloppy pass to set up Hibernian’s equalizer in the game, and lost 100% (5/5) of his duels throughout the game.

The scales failed to deal with Owen Elding’s body, he lost four of his aerial ropes, but he was lucky that his team was able to score the winning goal through Kelechi Iheanacho.

The 27-year-old defender has struggled in the Scottish Premiership at times this season, winning just 50% of his 34 games.

In addition to his struggles in duels, the Irishman conceded two penalties and was booked by the Hoops ten times in the league in the 2025/26 campaign.

Celtic are holding talks to sign the Championship defender

The left-back’s form in the Premiership this season seems to be unprecedented at Parkhead as they look to strengthen the squad in his place.

As the season draws to a close, the Scottish giants are reportedly making efforts to sign the star who could develop in Scales from the manager who eventually replaced Martin O’Neill this summer.

According to CeltsAreHere, Celtic are interested in a deal to sign West Bromwich Albion defender George Campbell in next summer’s transfer window.

The report claims that the Hoops have already held talks about bringing the USA international to Parkhead, which would make him a third American defender alongside Cameron Carter-Vickers and Auston Trusty.

It adds that a bid of around £2.5m would be enough to convince the Baggies to accept an offer and move on from the player they only signed in last summer’s transfer window.

CeltsAreHere add, however, that there are other clubs in the English Championship and Bundesliga looking to make a move for Campbell, suggesting there could be serious competition for his signature.

How George Campbell could be an upgrade on Celtic’s Liam Scales

If the Hoops can beat off competition from England and Germany to land the West Brom star, Campbell could arrive at Parkhead to boost Scales thanks to his defensive prowess and reliability.

The 24-year-old star, who can play as a right-back or centre-back on either side, could slot in on the right alongside Trusty or on the left alongside Carter-Vickers, leaving Scales as a backup option next season.

Campbell has won 59% of his ground games in 39 Championship games for West Brom, who lost just one of their last 11 games in the division before their season ended last weekend.

The American defender dwarfs Scales’ defensive stats in many metrics, and looks set to arrive at Parkhead as the strongest defender in low duels, while making fewer mistakes.

Campbell also showed his prowess at the other end of the pitch with four goals for the Baggies, including a long-range strike against Sheffield United earlier this year.

Scales, meanwhile, has scored just three Premiership goals in 94 appearances for Celtic since the start of the 2023/24 campaign, suggesting the Baggies star could provide a significant goal threat at center back.

The Hoops have not been as successful as their peers in scoring in organized games this season. Rangers scored 19 and Hearts scored 20 from set-pieces, while Celtic scored only nine.

Campbell, who replaces Scales in the starting line-up next season, will help them in that, as he has shown that he can carry a big threat in the open game and play equally as a goal-scoring full-back.

Therefore, the £2.5m star could be a great signing for the Scottish giants as he can improve the team offensively and defensively as an improvement on Scales, by being more dominant in his duels and more successful in the opposition box.

As long as O’Neill’s successor, once confirmed, is happy to add Campbell to their squad, Celtic should complete the deal in the summer window.