Celtic are hoping to sign Pedro Chirivella from Liverpool

Spanish midfielder is keen on being reunited with former boss Brendan Rodgers up in Scotland after turning down move to Norway

Celtic are hoping to sign Pedro Chirivella after the Liverpool midfielder turned down a £3.5 million switch to Rosenborg.

The Spaniard had looked set to move to Norway after the Reds agreed an initial £2.4m deal last week, including £1.1m in add-ons, but after discussions with the Eliteserien side the 21-year-old opted against the transfer.

Now Celtic have emerged as leading contenders to sign the former Valencia trainee. Brendan Rodgers, the Scottish champions’ boss, gave Chirivella his professional debut for Liverpool in a Europa League tie at Bordeaux in September 2015, and is keen to be reunited with him up in Glasgow.

Championship sides Nottingham Forest and Swansea had also expressed an interest in Chirivella, but Celtic’s potential participation in the Champions League, and the player’s relationship with Rodgers, would make a move to Scotland more attractive.

Ironically, Celtic secured progression to the third qualifying round of the Champions League by beating Rosenborg, triumphing 3-1 on aggregate. The Hoops must now overcome Greek side AEK Athens in order to reach the final play-off round, with the first leg to be played at Celtic Park on Wednesday.

Chirivella is likely to be one of a number of departures at Liverpool this month, as Jurgen Klopp seeks to trim his squad ahead of the new season.

Danny Ings and Sheyi Ojo could depart this week, as could Connor Randall, while Marko Grujic, Lazar Markovic, Divock Origi and Simon Mignolet are all attracting interest from across Europe.

The Premier League deadline, of course, closes on Thursday, with clubs in Europe able to sign players right up until the end of August.