BARCELONA youngster Marc Crosas has opened the door to joining Celtic on a season-long loan deal.

The 20-year-old midfielder is tipped for a big future at the Nou Camp, but the Catalan giants are keen to farm him out on another loan spell.

And Parkhead manager Gordon Strachan is aiming to tempt him to the SPL champions as he looks to bolster his midfield options. Celtic are believed to have watched Crosas in their recent friendly fixtures against Hibs and Dundee United, and have now approached Barca.

Crosas spent the second half of last season on loan to French champions Lyon, and says he would consider a switch to Celtic, or La Liga rivals Sevilla, if Barcelona give him permission to open talks.

He said: "I haven't spoken to anyone from Scotland yet, but I am awaiting news. People have spoken about Celtic and Sevilla, but everything depends on Barcelona's decision."

Although Crosas joined the Barcelona first-team for their stay in Scotland, he was left out of the squad for this week's trip to the US and has been told by manager Pep Guardiola he still isn't ready to be thrust into the top team.

His agent, Ramon Arasa, confirmed: "Both Celtic and Sevilla are now openly having conversations with Barcelona about Marc.

"As yet there is no firm proposal from either side for us to consider, but a short-term move to either club appeals to Marc.

"Barcelona's trip to Scotland confirmed the appetite there is in the country for football and Celtic as a big club have a great history. We now await firm proposals before deciding the next step."

Crosas finds his path into the Barca first-team blocked by the likes of Alexander Hleb, Yaya Toure, Andres Iniesta, Xavi and Seydou Keita.

But as Strachan continues to search for new faces, his hopes of offloading Bobo Balde have increased with news of Ipswich's interest in the powerful defender.

The Parkhead club have made it clear the 32-year-old can leave on a free transfer if he can find a new club this summer, and Birmingham City manager Alex McLeish has already made his interest known.

But Ipswich boss Jim Magilton is now interested in taking Balde after Wolves backed away when they realised they couldn't match his wage demands.

Meanwhile, Celtic have also been linked with a £300,000 move for Chelsea kid Jack Cork.

The 19-year-old is thought to have impressed Parkhead scouts last season when he was on loan at Championship side Scunthorpe.

Although he is highly rated by the Premiership outfit, the defender fears he'll have to wait too long for an opportunity to play first-team football at the London giants and is keen to try and secure a move over the summer.

Strachan is looking for a couple of defenders before the beginning of the season and could be ready to try and tempt Cork to try his luck in the SPL, although Fulham, West Ham and Sheffield Wednesday are also interested.