CELTIC won’t cash in on Dedryck Boyata because he’s worth more to the club if he helps them to the Champions League group stage, writes Neil Cameron
Fulham have made an offer of £9m for the 28-year-old Belgian, who is now in the last year of his contract, and more bids are expected before the English transfer window shuts on Friday.
The temptation would be to cash in on the player who could leave for nothing next summer.
But with £40m and more available to Celtic should they make the group stage, their World Cup star is going nowhere.
For the moment.
Brendan Rodgers said: “I think it’s one of those precarious situations where he is in the last year of his deal, but you also have to weigh up where it’s at and the importance of the competition and the importance of him to our team.
“Like I say, unless you have a replacement of equal quality, or better, which would be very, very difficult, then of course you can’t lose your best players at this time.
“You get £10 million for Dedryck, as an example, but where do you then go and get another centre half off that? One who would help you go get through this Champions League qualifying campaign and for the rest of the season.
“It has to make sense in every way and at this moment in time it doesn’t.
“For Dedryck, of course, he is in his last year so in six months’ time he can do a pre-contract with someone if he wants to move. My focus is on keeping the squad as strong as we possibly can at this moment.”
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