Columbus Crew have given boss Wilfried Nancy permission to speak to Celtic about the managerial vacancy.
It is understood that the Hoops are already in talks with his agent and believe he is open to joining the Scottish champions.
Nancy, 48, is expected to speak directly to Celtic leaders over the weekend.
Sky Sports News revealed on Wednesday that Celtic officials had met with a number of targets and their representatives in London after drawing up a shortlist.
Major shareholder Dermot Desmond met interim manager Martin O’Neill in London on Friday to discuss whether he would remain if the club failed to appoint a new manager before the end of the international break.
Nancy won the MLS Cup and League Cup with Columbus.
If Nancy and Celtic can agree on terms, Celtic will need to formally approach the Columbus Crew to discuss compensation.
Celtic’s aim is to have a new manager in charge for next weekend’s game at St Mirren, but if they are unable to reach an agreement with one of their top targets, they would like to see O’Neill stick around for a bit longer. As Sky Sports News revealed last week, Celtic are pleased with the way O’Neill has energized the team and the atmosphere at Celtic Park.
In the past two years, Nancy has won the MLS Cup and Leagues Cup and was named MLS Coach of the Year. Last year, he led the Columbus Crew to the CONCACAF Champions Cup Final.
Also on Celtic’s radar are Wales manager Craig Bellamy, Club Brugge’s Nicky Hayen and Ferencvaros manager Robbie Keane.
Celtic were keen to explore the potential return of Ange Postecoglou, but Sky Sports News understands that interest is almost certainly not going to progress at this point.
Nancy hasn’t ruled out a move to Celtic
When asked about a possible move to Celtic during the Columbus Crew’s end-of-season press conference, Nancy refused to remove himself from the discussion.
“I’m not here to talk about myself. I’m here to talk about the team, first of all,” Nancy said.
“And I have nothing to say about any kind of reporting.”
Nancy led the Columbus Crew to seventh place in the MLS Eastern Conference during the 2025 season, but they were eliminated in three games by second-seeded FC Cincinnati in the first round of the playoffs.
O’Neill admits he may not be in charge of Celtic’s next game
Celtic caretaker manager Martin O’Neill on full time for the Premier Sports Cup semi-final between Celtic and Rangers at Hampden Park.
Current caretaker manager O’Neill admitted he does not know whether he will be able to take charge of the Hoops by the time they face St Mirren on Sky.
In an interview with BBC Radio Ulster on Thursday and broadcast on Friday morning, the 73-year-old said: “The short and honest answer is that I really don’t know.
“I’m not a party to what the board is discussing with prospective clients and things like this, and I don’t want to be a party to that because it’s not my authority.
“The people involved can very easily make their own judgments about people without me intervening in any aspect. I said I’ll do it until they find a replacement.
“So, will that be possible next week? I really don’t know. My job was to go into the fort and hold the defenses, and I’ll step aside as soon as someone is appointed.”
“If it were tomorrow, I would be happy to step aside. It doesn’t matter. It has nothing to do with ego or anything. It’s to help in the very, very short term.”
