Brendan Rodgers admits there are still many “moving parts” in Celtic's January transfer business but is convinced the club will not be short of vital Champions League games.
Looking for a deal to sign Real Valladolid winger Raul Moro worth £8.5m, Celtic are also deep in negotiations with Arsenal to bring Kieran Tierney back to Parkhead.
Reports have also emerged in Spain in recent days that Barcelona loanee Alex Valle could be heading for the Parkhead exit door, with his parent club preferring him to continue his development elsewhere.
Dissatisfied that Valle has started only seven league games, Barça is willing to approve a loan to Serie A side Como, coached by Cesc Fàbregas, for the second half of the season.
Celtic would need to agree to shorten Valle's loan, according to the initial agreement, and would only do so when they can complete a deal for Tierney.
With two Champions League games ahead against Young Boys and Aston Villa over the next fortnight, Rodgers, whose side host Kilmarnock in the Scottish Cup fourth round today, will not allow his side to weaken.
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers is hoping to add more quality to his squad this month.
Rodgers is delighted with the performances of Barcelona loanee Alex Valle
Valle is in the squad for today's cup match against Kilmarnock despite rumors about his future
On the speculation surrounding Valle, he said: “Alex is still a big player here. Lots of rumors about lots of players and lots of moving parts.
“But, at this very moment, Alex is preparing for the game this weekend. I think there are a number of decisions here about the players. But we certainly have work to do.
'Obviously the window will be open a little longer than the end of January. So that always gives us time.
“We have our last group game against Aston Villa and there is a bit of time after that but, at this very moment, there are a lot of pieces changing in all of this.
'We just accomplished that. Alex is very focused. He loved his time here.
“He's been a fantastic young player for us. So I'm very, very happy with that. And we'll see how he develops over the course of the rest of the window.”
Asked about the possibility of Barcelona calling up Valle and Celtic being short-handed, Rodgers added: “No, there is absolutely no way that will happen.
“Obviously, with Alex coming here on loan, I'm committing to a young player coming and playing.
Kieran Tierney (left) could soon line up alongside captain Callum McGregor once again
'He loved his stay here. He enjoys it here. Enjoy football. He has become a Champions League player when he joined Celtic.
And he's in no hurry to leave. However, if something were to change on that front, where he may not get game time, then I have to be open and honest with him to make him understand this.
But he knows perfectly well the image here. “My honesty and commitment will be with him, first and foremost, in terms of what the situation is.”
Rodgers is confident he can add a couple of new faces before the window ends but feels the new Champions League format is a complicating factor this season with games in January.
And he added: “Yes, I hope so (about the new signings). There has been a lot of work for several months.”
“But, as you can imagine, it's never that simple when you get to the point of getting the player you want, because there are various reasons why his club would maybe want to keep him.”
“But I'm pretty sure that in the end we'll be able to add that extra freshness and competence to the team.”
'You just have to be patient. “You always want to have a player from day one, but, if that can't be the case, then at some point during the January period we hope to have him there.”