Celtic defender Mikael Lustig is out of contract at the end of the season.
In comments reported by Swedish outlet Expressen, Mikael Lustig has confirmed that he has been contacted by AIK over a potential move in the summer, but the Celtic defender insisted that no contract has been offered.
Lustig’s future at Parkhead is up in the air, with Expressen reporting that his deal expires at the end of the campaign. He has not had a good spell over the last year or so, and has largely played the role of understudy since Jeremy Toljan joined the Hoops on loan in January.
Expressen reports that AIK are keen to bring Lustig back to his home country if Celtic allow his deal to expire. And while away on international duty, the right-back admitted that there has been preliminary discussions with his admirers, but added that nothing has been offered.
“Absolutely. They know well about my situation,” he told Expressen when asked if contact had been made.
“No. But then I don’t really know what the rules are. But we have not spoken about any contract,” he added, when asked if he had received an offer.
With Toljan struggling to prove that Celtic should try and keep him beyond his loan spell, it would arguably be a risk for the Bhoys to let Lustig leave at the end of the season.
He may not be the stalwart that he once was. But his experience still makes him a valuable member of the squad on and off the pitch. And there is no guarantee that the first-choice right-back next season – if it is a player not currently at the club – will settle in straight away.
Signing a better right-back appears to be an important piece of business for Celtic to do this summer. But that does not mean that Lustig does not have a role to play beyond this season.
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