Stuart Armstrong’s contract situation is likely to be under the microscope this week.
The midfielder’s current deal runs until the end of this season but over the weekend social media was rife with reports that the Armstrong was on his way out of Celtic.
Brendan Rodgers put the ball firmly in the court of the players agent but there has been no sign of a compromise or fresh talks taking place.
Of course a new deal could be announced at any moment but that seems unlikely.
There is little doubt that there are clubs in England prepared to pay more than decent money for Armstrong, a four year deal worth £50,000/week with a £1m signing on fee wouldn’t be out of place at Crystal Palace, West Brom, Stoke or Bournemouth.
That sort of deal will be tempting to any player, in competition Celtic could perhaps offer half that wage, regular Champions League football and a manager that knows how to get the best from the player.
Celtic can also look towards a £20m transfer fee for Armstrong within a new contract, at the moment £6m would be a decent return on someone that can walk away on a Bosman next May.
Rodgers has got massive control over every aspect of life at Celtic and could genuinely tell Armstrong what he can do for his career.
In the opposite corner is an agent waving big money and knowing that his cut on a transfer to England will be significantly more than a new Celtic contract.
With Olivier Ntcham joining Tom Rogic and Callum McGregor in competition for Armstrong’s favoured places in the side the smoke signals suggest that Armstrong will be elsewhere when the transfer window closes.
