Melbourne City want to take flop Celtic star Marco Tilio back to their club on loan when the Australian transfer window reopens.

Celtic reportedly paid £1.5million to land the winger from Melbourne City this summer, where he won three A-League titles in a row.

But his move to Glasgow has not gone well so far and he's played just 28 minutes for the Hoops so far in substitute appearances against Motherwell and Hibs.

Parkhead boss Brendan Rodgers admitted earlier this month that he wasn't in his plans for now. He said: "He’s okay. He is training away.

"I think because we had some injuries he got himself onto the bench (against Motherwell and Hibernian) but other players have come back and he found himself outside of that again.”

And reports in his homeland have indicated Melbourne City will try and get him back on loan when the Australian transfer window reopens on January 11.

It's also been suggested they will be challenged for his services by Sydney FC - his first club too.

He left Sydney to join Melbourne in 2020 to get more playing time and broke into the Australia squad.

He was surprisingly recalled for the Socceroos place for the Asian Cup where his nation will play against India, Syria and Uzbekistan.

And he could return to Melbourne after the tournament on loan.

READ MORE: Stephen Welsh to step up for Celtic amid concern for Cameron Carter-Vickers

Meanwhile, Brendan Rodgers has backed Stephen Welsh to step up to the plate in the absence of Cameron Carter-Vickers as his Celtic team get geared up for their crucial clash against Rangers this afternoon.

Rodgers revealed yesterday that Carter-Vickers would be out until after the winter break after coming off with a strain in the Boxing Day game against Dundee, and the Celtic manager admitted that it would be a blow to be without his star defender for a match of such magnitude.