Celtic are thought to be closing in on Manchester City man Fergal Harkin as their new director of football, according to the Daily Record.

The Lowdown: Hoops’ longstanding interest

Celtic have been after the Irishman for some time. The Hoops opened talks with Harkin way back in March, just weeks after Neil Lennon resigned as manager.

A deal for Harkin, who is a ‘massive’ Hoops fan, was thought to be close last month, however, as we know, a deal is yet to be announced for the newly-created role.

It seems as if Harkin has his heart set on a move to Parkhead, though, after a recent development regarding the 44-year-old.

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The Latest: Harkin turns down Belgium move

According to the Daily Record, Harkin has turned down a director of football role with SK Lommel.

Harkin, who is currently Manchester City’s football partnerships manager, has rejected the chance to become more hands-on abroad.

Irish sources believe that his decision regarding snubbing a switch to Belgium is down to his move to Glasgow edging closer.

The Verdict: One step forwards two steps back?

It seems as if Celtic’s rebuild was really starting to take shape. Eddie Howe was reportedly set to be announced as the club’s new manager, so Howe and Harkin could have ended up working closely together.

However, in a huge development, Howe's talks with Celtic are thought to have collapsed, so Harkin, who looks to be the new DoF, may now have a huge say on Lennon's successor, as was expected back in March.

Celtic have been linked with Harkin for a number of months, and it now appears as if they’ll be landing his services, so you'd expect him to be extremely busy from the get-go, should he put pen to paper.

In other news: Hoops make approach for Barcelona youngster, find out more here