Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has voiced his hope of Ryan Christie rejecting Crystal Palace and Burnley and signing a new contract, via the Daily Record.
Christie will be a free agent from January having entered the final six-months of his current deal at Parkhead. The Hoops have offered the 26-year-old new terms to stay in Glasgow long-term, but the midfielder is yet to accept their offer.
Celtic are open to holding further discussions to keep Christie at the Premiership giants and snub Premier League approaches. Crystal Palace and Burnley are rivalling for the 20-cap international as Patrick Vieira and Sean Dyche bolster their respective ranks.
Postecoglou, though, hopes Christie will reject Crystal Palace and Burnley to stay at Celtic.
“I don’t think I need to twist his arm,” Postecoglou said. “I’ve already said that if this doesn’t convince him, I don’t think anything can. I think they are more questions for Ryan than me. I’d love to have him as part of the club. All I can do is treat people as I have seen them, and he has been fantastic from the moment I’ve come into the place.
“With the way he’s training and the way he’s playing his football, he’s a fantastic footballer and he suits the way I want to play. But I’m not the master of his future, that’s in his hands. He was brilliant. He’s been good in every game to be fair.
“His performances have been excellent, he’s training well and he’s enjoying his football. I played him on the left, but we know he is versatile and can play elsewhere in the team, as well. He got his assists today and I thought he was a key part of what we were doing.”
Christie showed why Postecoglou wants Crystal Palace and Burnley target at Celtic
Christie showed against Dundee on Sunday why Postecoglou wants the Crystal Palace and Burnley target to stay at Celtic. The Inverness-born star provided three assists as the Hoops won 6-0, setting up the second, third and fourth goals.
He also found the back of the net against Jablonec in the Europa League during Thursday’s third-round first-leg qualifying win. Christie headed home in the 90th-minute his first goal of the season in any competition, moments after the Czech side had moved to within one.
Vieira and Dyche would surely love to have Christie’s creativity at Crystal Palace or Burnley, like Postecoglou wants at Celtic. And his ongoing refusal to sign new terms will offer the Eagles and Clarets hope of a transfer.
As will Postecoglou admitting Christie’s future is in his hands, even if his Australian boss wants him to stay.
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