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According to reports in The Daily Mail, Celtic midfielder Scott Brown is an ambitious transfer target for Australian club Western Melbourne.

What's the word, then?

Well, The Daily Mail report that the A-League aspirants are targeting an audacious move to bring the 33-year-old down under, as they want him to be their marquee signing if their application to join the extended Australian top flight at the end of the month is accepted.

The Bhoys captain is actually out of contract at the end of the season as things stand, but The Daily Mail says that while the Scottish Premiership holders are aware of the interest in their skipper they are in talks with him over a new deal and are confident that he will commit his future to them.

The report adds that Western Melbourne are hopeful that a change of scenery will appeal to Brown after what will be 17 years playing in Scotland.

Why must Celtic keep him?

While it seems that Brown was always likely to stay at Celtic Park in order to get his coaching career underway, it is unclear whether he would have been handed a long extension to his contract given he will turn 34 years of age in June.

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Brendan Rodgers looked to have good options in the middle of the park with the likes of Olivier Ntcham, Eboue Kouassi, Nir Bitton and Tom Rogic available to him, but Kouassi has struggled to make an impact in Glasgow and Ntcham's performances haven’t been up to scratch this term.

The Frenchman appears to have been affected by Moussa Dembele's exit to Lyon on the final day of the summer transfer window, and he is now looking more likely to leave Celtic in the near future – a move that makes securing Brown's future so important.