As the close season rolls on and pre-season training and friendlies rapidly approach, Celtic have maintained a relaxed approach to their summer recruitment. While across the city Pedro Caixinha and Rangers are making themselves very busy with regards to transfers, Brendan Rodgers knows that his summer will be one of tweaking rather than revolution.

Nonetheless it's important the club get players in sooner rather than later. The UEFA Champions League qualifiers are a notoriously difficult gauntlet and fans would like to see players bedded in and ready to go.

Who should they make their first signing?

Well, late last week The Premier League revealed the list of players that will be released by their clubs this summer when their contracts expire and on it are number of interesting options.

For Celtic fans, perhaps the name that jumps out most is Joe Ledley, a midfielder who made over 150 appearances for the Hoops in three and a half seasons.

We reckon a move for the Wales international makes perfect sense and here are three reasons why...

He's a better option than Bitton

Currently Celtic have a multitude of quality midfielders at their disposal who have been so consistent this season. Scott Brown, Stuart Armstrong and Callum McGregor have all been stand outs which in conjunction with the attacking central threat of Tom Rogic makes them formidable indeed in the middle of the park.

However Joe Ledley would only add to that, perhaps replacing Nir Bitton, who has fallen away as a regular under Brendan Rodgers and who is a player that frustrates fans for his inability to show the drive and determination of his teammates.

Ledley has that in spades and was a fan favourite during his spell at the Hoops for his work rate and determination to bring the ball into the final third.

Put simply, Ledley far more suits a Brendan Rodgers team than Bitton does and given he is available on a free, he would be a quality option for the Celtic boss on the cheap, allowing him to perhaps do a deal that sees the Israeli midfielder move away from the club.

He loves the big matches

Joe Ledley's qualities as a Celtic player often shone through on the big occasion, none more so than when Celtic went head-to-head with their eternal rivals Rangers. He loved a goal against them too, scoring twice against them before the financial calamity that forced them to restart at the bottom of Scottish football.

The most famous of those came in 2011 when his header put the Hoops in control of the then Scottish Premier League title at the turn of the year after threatening to fall behind the Light Blues for the fourth successive year.

It was the perfect Ledley moment that showed he, the club and the fans were all in harmony. You'd have been hard pressed to find a Celtic fan who didn't love him that night and it's that sort of contribution that could again make him a hero at Celtic Park.

He often shone in Europe too. Notable performances in the group stages of the UEFA Champions League in 2012/13 immediately spring to mind. He was crucial in that run of games and the defensive shift he put in during the Hoops 2-1 win over Barcelona was fantastic. It's something Celtic could certainly do with going into next season.

His goalscoring record was always good

With 30 goals in 157 appearances, 140 of which were starts, Joe Ledley averaged a goal around every five games at Celtic which isn't a bad return at all for a midfielder, especially one who was often deployed in a more defensive central role.

The high watermark of his goal contribution in a single season came in 2012/13 when he hit double figures, scoring 10 in all competitions. During a run of games in which he was captain that season he scored four in five matches.

Celtic have hardly been lacking for goals this season but adding another goalscoring midfielder alongside Stuart Armstrong could prove devastating to the opposition, especially as he would be working with players he knows already such as Scott Brown and James Forrest.