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Colossal- leading Scottish pundit predicts there could be15 summer departures at Celtic

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Michael Stewart believes that a summer clear out could see as many as 15 players leave Celtic.

Peter Lawwell has already announced that he will be retiring with Dom McKay taking his place and Neil Lennon unlikely to survive the horrors that he has presided over this term.

Last summer Celtic never sold any first team players but there was no new contract on the table for Craig Gordon, Jonny Hayes and Jozo Simunovic while Fraser Forster, Daniel Arzani and Moritz Bauer returned to their parent clubs.

At this stage of the season Celtic look to be in a state of limbo with January transfer activity at a minimum.

In The Sun, Stewart explains:

Off the field, Peter Lawwell has already confirmed he will be leaving in the summer. The odds suggest Neil Lennon will also be on his way out the exit door. Should that happen you would have to think the majority of this group of players will join them.

Let me make this clear, that’s not because this squad needs a big overhaul. It’s still a very good squad. But given everything that has gone on, it looks more likely that major overhaul is going to happen anyway.

Players are disillusioned, they are clearly beginning to look elsewhere. It will only be guys like Turnbull, with such a bright future ahead of him, who will be sticking around.

The departures fall into a couple of distinct categories.

Loan players such as Shane Duffy, Diego Laxalt, Moi Elyounoussi and Jonjoe Kenny will return to their parent clubs with only a remote prospect of returning, after their experiences this season they are unlikely to be in a rush for another move to Celtic.

Jack Hendry, Marian Shved, Vakoun Bayo, Olivier Ntcham are out on loan and likely to see their futures elsewhere.

Project signings such as Jonathan Afolabi, Lee O’Connor, Luca Connell, Andrew Gutman and Manny Perez haven’t been near a first team game in two years.

Odsonne Edouard, Kris Ajer and Ryan Christie have a year left on their deals. Karamoko Dembele, Armstrong Oko Flex and Conor Hazard are out on contract in June.

There are 19 players listed above- there could be others moving on.

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