Scottish champions Celtic are believed to be open to a Parkhead departure for defender Josip Juranovic, following a halt to contract talks with the Croatian.

What's the word?

That's according to Football Scotland's Mark Hendry, with the journalist revealing on Twitter: "It is my understanding Josip Juranovic Celtic talks have been put on hold as club seriously considering selling player after World Cup to maximise profit. Contract could still potentially be signed but it will be assessed by the club after tournament."

This follows a recent report from the Daily Mail that claimed the Old Firm are bracing themselves for offers for the 27-year-old in the New Year, with negotiations over an improved deal for the full-back said to have proven 'unsuccessful'.

While the former Legia Warsaw man still has just under four years to run on his existing deal, as Hendry alluded to the Glasgow giants could look to cash in should the right-back impress for his country in Qatar, having previously attracted interest from the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Atletico Madrid in the summer.

Right time to 'cash in'

On the face of it, losing the 21-cap machine appears something of a setback for Hoops boss Ange Postecoglou, with Juranovic having been a key figure for the club since his arrival last summer, notably being lauded for his "outstanding" form during last season's title success by pundit, John Hartson.

That being said, however, having brought in the in-demand star for just £2.5m over a year ago, it could well be an ideal chance for the Scottish Premiership side to recoup a tidy profit in January, with reports in the recent window suggesting that the player could command a fee of around £15m.

Equally, as pundit Tam McManus suggested, the Zagreb-born ace has somewhat "disappointed" so far this season - recording just two goal involvements in 15 games across all fronts - with the club potentially "right to cash in" if he impresses in the coming weeks on international duty.

Even for all his plaudits last term, Juranovic also only provided five goals and nine assists in what was a real breakout campaign.

The 24-year-old has also bettered his colleague's tally of contributions this term with three assists in just nine outings, while also potentially offering more defensively as the academy graduate averages 1.5 tackles and 2.4 clearances per game in the league, while his teammate averages 1.1 and 1.0 for the same two metrics, respectively.

As such, with Ralston already thriving in the right-back berth, it would seemingly not be too great of a blow were Postecoglou and co to allow Juranovic to move on in the winter window, with the Celtic Park hierarchy able to reinvest the potential funds elsewhere.