It doesn’t look as if Celtic will be making Diego Laxalt’s loan spell at Parkhead permanent this summer.

The Lowdown: Laxalt’s Celtic Park struggles

Laxalt made the move to Glasgow on a season-long loan back in October from AC Milan, however, he didn’t exactly cement his place in the Hoops side at the expense of Greg Taylor.

The South American started just 13 Scottish Premiership fixtures and was absent from John Kennedy’s squad for the final game of the season last weekend.

Taylor outperformed Laxalt in the Premiership, as per WhoScored, with the Uruguayan averaging a match-rating of just 6.82/10.

The Latest: No permanent deal

According to Il Milanista, cited by Sports Witness, there was a point where AC Milan were ‘ready to negotiate’ a permanent transfer to Celtic for the left-back.

However, the report adds that the Hoops ‘abruptly changed their mind’ at the end of the campaign, with a full-time switch to Scotland now off the table.

Frank McAvennie labelled a possible permanent transfer as a ‘smart move’ back in January, but it doesn’t look as if that will materialise going off the latest reports.

The Verdict: The right call by Celtic

In our opinion, Celtic have made the right decision by changing their mind on the defender.

His AC Milan deal is thought to be worth around £57,000-a-week, and his displays at Parkhead haven’t warranted him becoming one of the club’s top earners.

Those funds, in our view, could be put to better use under the new Hoops manager this summer.

Plenty of areas need strengthening, and splashing the cash on a left-back may have not been the best idea. A new striker to replace Odsonne Edouard appears crucial, while more attacking flair following Mohamed Elyounoussi’s return to Southampton could also be handy.

In other news: Report believes Eddie Howe to Celtic is done, find out more here.