Dundee United have insisted that Lawrence Shankland isn’t for sale in the January transfer window.
There has been reports that Celtic are considering a move for the striker who scored for Scotland against San Marino after notching 13 goals in 8 matches in The Championship.
Shankland was available as a free agent in the summer but despite interest from Sunderland and Swansea opted to move to Dundee United where he signed a three-year deal with the target of ending their four year stay in the second tier of the game.
With doubts remaining over Vakoun Bayo and Leigh Griffiths Celtic are likely to be looking for back up to Odsonne Edouard in January with Shankland the most obvious target.
Discussing the option of selling their star striker United chief Tony Asghar told The Sun:
I don’t think there’s any price you could name for us to sell Lawrence Shankland and then not give ourselves the best chance of promotion. The owners were clear when Lawrence arrived in the summer. He’s a key part of what we are trying to do, so I don’t expect any chats like this come January.
This club has a history of selling players at the wrong time, but Lawrence has committed to us for three years. The owners have invested a lot of money. They are craving success. If you weigh a transfer fee up against success on the pitch, they will take success every time.
Shankland signed for Aberdeen from Queens Park in 2013 but his four-year contract saw him loaned out to Dunfermline, St Mirren and Morton where he failed to excel before moving to Ayr United in League One.
Two seasons of prolific scoring at Somerset Park turned his career around with Steve Clarke capping the 24-year-old against Russia and San Marino.