Celtic midfielder Stuart Armstrong is being targeted by Premier League side Southampton.
Brendan Rodgers has suggested, as reported by the Evening Times, that Celtic continues to be the best place for Stuart Armstrong despite the reports recently coming out of the Daily Mail that suggested that Southampton were considering making a move for the midfielder.
According to the Mail, the Saints are keen on the 25-year-old, but will have to pay around £10 million for him despite the fact that he is entering the final year of his contract.
Celtic’s Stuart Armstrong
The contract situation arguably makes Armstrong’s future a more precarious issue for the Hoops, but Rodgers has advised that, while moving to the Premier League can be on his radar, staying at Parkhead would be the wisest decision at this stage.
“For him I think this is the best place for him,” he said, as reported by the Evening Times. “I know the Premiership inside out and if he wants to go there then okay, he can still get there but to arrive at the right moment is important.
“To arrive as an established European player, winning trophies and with more international experience. I understand why anyone would want to play in England as I worked there. But to arrive in the best moment you can is the way to do it.”
Rodgers’ comments would certainly suggest that the Champions League qualifiers could be crucial to Celtic’s chances of keeping some of their star players.
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers
The Bhoys won everything domestically last season and did it going through the entire domestic campaign unbeaten, so if they do not make it through to the group-stages of the Champions League, then some of their players may be forgiven for questioning whether they want another challenge.
And with one year left on his contract, Armstrong will inevitably be one of those players who considers where his future lies if they miss out on a place at Europe’s top table.
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