Sky Sports reporter Anthony Joseph has shared when Celtic hope to seal a deal for new managerial target Ange Postecoglou.

The Lowdown: A busy weekend...

It’s safe to say the Hoops hierarchy haven’t had a stress-free Bank Holiday weekend.

A deal for long-term target Eddie Howe collapsed on Friday afternoon, with problems with backroom staff, budget and personal reasons all contributing to a deal falling through.

They swiftly moved on to Yokohama F. Marinos manager Postecoglou, with the Hoops in advanced talks with the 55-year-old on Friday evening.

The Latest: Joseph’s Twitter post

Joseph took to social media late on Saturday evening to update supporters on Celtic’s pursuit of Postecoglou, admitting the Hoops are looking to ‘conclude the deal by the middle of next week’ – a telling nine-word admission on the club’s hopes of landing Neil Lennon’s permanent successor as soon as possible.

“Talks progressing well between Celtic and Ange Postecoglou’s representatives. Celtic hope to conclude the deal by the middle of next week. Yokohama F Marinos take on Shimizu S-Pulse at 5am (UK time) tomorrow. Farewell match for their boss?”

Postecoglou guided Yokohama F. Marinos to a 2-1 win over Shimizu S-Pulse on Sunday but was coy when asked about a possible move to Scotland.

The Verdict: Off-field positions need to be filled

Celtic need to fill the manager and director of football (DoF) roles quickly with the summer transfer window now looming.

All avenues appear to point to Postecoglou as manager and Fergal Harkin as DoF, with the latter, currently with Manchester City, possibly knowing the Australian well due to the connections within the City Football Group.

Before you know it, the Hoops will have Champions League qualifying fixtures to fulfil, so it could be crucial to have their key off-field positions filled to give the club the best chance of succeeding in Europe.

You’d expect a number of player incomings and outgoings to materialise as well, so planning for the 2021/22 campaign needs to get underway as soon as possible.

By the sounds of it, the Hoops are hoping to conclude a deal for Postecoglou by the middle of next week, however, as we now know with Howe, that isn’t guaranteed.

In other news: Hoops keen on signing international winger, find out more here