CELTIC DEFENDER STEPHEN WELSH SET TO JOIN SWANSEA CITY

Celtic defender Stephen Welsh is on the verge of becoming Swansea City's first signing of the summer transfer window. Welsh came through the youth academy at Celtic and has made 70 appearances for the Glasgow club. He spent the majority of the 2025-26 season on loan at Motherwell, making 31 appearances for the Scottish Premiership side. Swansea head coach Vitor Matos is looking to add to his central defensive options ahead of the new campaign.

Welsh's career has included several loan spells away from Celtic Park. He spent time at Belgian club Mechelen during one previous campaign, and also had an earlier temporary stint at Morton. At Swansea, Ben Cabango and Cameron Burgess served as the first-choice central defensive pairing last season. Ricardo Santos featured only occasionally, while Kaelan Casey's season-long loan from West Ham United was cut short in January.

The anticipated signing addresses a clear need for depth in Swansea's defensive ranks. Casey's departure mid-season left Swansea without a direct replacement at centre-back. Welsh's experience across Scottish and Belgian football adds to the options available to Matos. The move would represent Swansea City's opening piece of transfer business for the summer.