Shane Duffy may become a Celtic player sooner rather than later.

After much speculation about the future of Shane Duffy when the centre-half seemingly fell down the Brighton & Hove Albion pecking order last season, an official bid has been lodged.

According to Sky Sports, Celtic have taken their interest a step further by making a loan bid for Duffy.

West Ham and West Brom were said to be interested in the Republic of Ireland defender this summer but Celtic Park was always believed to be Duffy’s preferred destination as he grew up supporting the Hoops.

Despite supporters’ concerns that last week’s premature Champions League exit would hamper Celtic’s ability to sign Duffy, the 28-year-old now looks close to securing a switch to the Scottish champions.

Brighton were understood to be holding out for a loan fee in excess of £2 million from Celtic, while West Ham and West Brom were looking at permanent deals for Duffy.

Seagulls manager, Graham Potter, addressed Duffy’s future over the weekend and described the interest in him as “obvious”.

“You understand the speculation with Shane because he’s an important player and an important character and he wants to play football,” Potter told Sussex Live.

“So of course, people are putting two and two together and it’s an obvious one. But he’s been fantastic for me.

“I understand he wants to play. We need to take those decisions at the right time for him and for the team. But for the moment, he’s with us and he does his best every day. He’s part of our group.”

Duffy, who is part of Stephen Kenny’s first Republic of Ireland squad for the upcoming Uefa Nations League matches against Bulgaria and Finland, made just 19 Premier League appearances for Brighton last term, which was his fewest ever in a season for the club.