Sevilla defender Andreas Hinkel could be set for a January move to Celtic, according to rumours from the Continent.Reports in Spain and Germany on Saturday claimed the Parkhead side had clinched the signing of Hinkel for a fee of around £2.1million.

However the Germany international, who has won 17 caps, remains a Sevilla player, even though he has been left out of the squad for Sunday's league match against Real Valladolid.

The 25-year-old's agent revealed that three clubs want Hinkel, and the defender is expected to decide where his future lies within the next week.

His agent Klaus Schaude said: "We are in talks with three clubs and in the next three or four days I think we can close the deal.

"I can't say whether Celtic are one of the teams at the moment."

Hinkel signed a contract until 2010 when he joined Sevilla at the start of last season from Stuttgart.

He has not been a regular in the team however and was linked recently with a return to Germany, with Wolfsburg interested. They are believed to be among the three clubs pursuing the player.

Left-back has been a problem position for Celtic recently.

With Lee Naylor injured, Celtic manager Gordon Strachan has had no natural cover for the Englishman and has fielded midfielder Paul Hartley, centre-back Darren O'Dea and youngster Ryan Conroy in the position.

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