Celtic have not been shy when it comes to signing players from the top four divisions in England, either on permanent deals or on loans.

One fairly recent addition that was brought in from one of England's top clubs is Joe Hart, who joined the Hoops from Tottenham Hotspur back in the previous summer transfer window on a three-year deal.

Since then, the Englishman has seen himself become Celtic's number one goalkeeper, making 56 appearances for the club across all competitions.

In those appearances, the 35-year-old has kept 27 clean sheets in the process.

Now that another summer transfer window is not far from closing, the Hoops could have the chance to replicate a similar sort of masterclass that they pulled off when they signed Hart.

Earlier this week, journalist Simon Phillips named Celtic as one of the clubs interested in signing Chelsea midfielder Ross Barkley.

Having made 319 senior appearances throughout his career, the 28-year-old has found the net 46 times and delivered 41 assists along the way, highlighting the attacking talent he has in front of goal.

Hailed as a "tremendous" player by former Aston Villa manager Dean Smith, who signed the Englishman on a loan deal back in 2020, the €4m-rated (£3.3m) midfielder could be a useful addition to Ange Postecoglou's squad, especially after the club saw the likes of Tom Rogic, Nir Bitton and Ismaila Soro leave Parkhead this summer.

Bearing in mind how Hart had only made ten appearances for his previous club before making the move to Glasgow, this mirrors the situation that Barkley is currently in at Chelsea.

Having only started four of the 14 appearances he made for the west London club across all competitions last season, he is an outcast and no longer rated by his employers.

The former Everton star was not in the squad that saw Chelsea take on the Toffees for their recent match at Goodison Park which further highlights how out of favour he is and why a move to Celtic could be a great next step for all parties.

With Celtic proving with Hart how beneficial it can be to sign Premier League players that aren't particularly high up the pecking order at their clubs, securing a deal for Barkley could be just as smart for them.