Celtic’s record this season has been nothing short of shambolic for a club of their stature.

That’s why the January transfer window has now come round at an ideal time.

What’s the word?

According to Sky Sports, the Hoops are in talks to re-sign defender Filip Benkovic this month.

It’s understood that the 23-year-old is not a part of Leicester’s short-term plans and as a result, Celtic are keen on signing the Croatian on an initial loan deal with an option to buy in the summer.

The Foxes are open to receiving offers for the centre-back who is currently managed by former Hoops boss Brendan Rodgers.

Benkovic spent the first half of this season on loan at Cardiff but was recalled this week after making only one appearance in Wales.

The youngster is rated at just £4.5m via Transfermarkt, and is on a salary of £32k-per-week. Clearly, a deal would not be cheap.

Their next Van Dijk

Despite a few spells on the sidelines with injury when he was last at Parkhead, Benkovic was nothing short of colossal.

He was an imperious defender who undoubtedly improved the way they played. The Croat was capable of playing out from the back and used his mammoth height to overpower the opposition.

If anything summed up his displays, it was a set of quotes from Rodgers this year: “He needs to get working again and show the level he can play at.

"Thankfully for myself, I've seen the level. When he was with me at Celtic he played against RB Leipzig and he was sensational," he commented.

A productive defensive performance has been all too rare at Celtic this term, especially on the continental stage where they conceded 19 goals in only six outings. Though, not only would Neil Lennon find a huge upgrade in Benkovic, but he could also fill the void left behind by a certain Virgil van Dijk.

The Liverpool star is widely renowned as one of the best in the game and the Celtic target possesses similar qualities.

For example, Benkovic completed over 90% of his passes when he was last at Parkhead. Van Dijk, on the other hand, has amassed the same number in the Premier League this season.

They are also both seriously impressive in the air. The Dutchman has won 4.5 aerial duels per game throughout his career, while the Glaswegian’s potential new arrival has won 3.7 on average.

However, it’s the ball-playing aspect that gives us the biggest Van Dijk vibes. He’s a mighty figure in the backline and knowing Celtic like he does, would be their ideal addition this month.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Soro: Hammond can revive Celtic with swoop for £8.5k-p/w tank...