Celtic scraped into the last 32 of the Europa League.
Dedryck Boyata has celebrated on Instagram after Celtic qualified for the last 32 of the Europa League despite losing to RedBull Salzburg – but will he even be at Parkhead for the knockout clash?
Boyata, 28, missed Thursday night’s 2-1 loss to Salzburg, which saw Moanes Dabbur and Hannes Wolf score – only for Olivier Ntcham to score a consolation in the 95th minute.
Celtic’s inability to manage a point against the Austrian side meant they had to rely on Rosenborg to earn a point against RB Leipzig, which they did thanks to an 86th-minute equaliser – drawing 1-1.
Belgium defender Boyata posted on Instagram after the win, captioning a picture of Thursday night’s starting eleven with “Let’s go to the last 32”. But question marks remain, will Boyata even be at Celtic when the Hoops enter the last 32?
Boyata is in the final months of his Celtic contract and it remains unlikely that the former Manchester City rock is going to put pen to paper on a new contract. It means foreign clubs can land the defender on a pre-contract in January.
However, if Celtic want a fee for Boyata, they will have to sell him in January for what is likely to be a cut-price figure. It means the likelihood of him leaving next month is pretty high.
Celtic enter the last 32 in February, with the first leg to be played on the 14th and the second leg a week later. The draw takes place on Monday. But if Boyata is to leave in January, he will not be around for the last 32.
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