Erik Sviatchenko turned down Premier League but is it inevitable Celtic will sell?

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The talented centre-back refused to consider offers from both Leicester City and Southampton but how much longer can Celtic keep hold of him?

Seeing their star men linked relentlessly with a glamorous move to the Premier League is nothing new for Celtic. Yet, it is not often they are able to shrug off the interest, not to mention the hefty transfer fee.

Then again, it is not often a player flatly refuses to consider departing the Scottish Premiership for the allure and the pay packets of the English top flight. Although, according to the Daily Record, that is exactly what Erik Sviatchenko did on deadline day.

The Sun reported that both Southampton and Leicester City were considering a late bid for the Danish centre-back. The Saints, after all, know first-hand the benefits of a north of the border bargain. Virgil van Dijk will earn them quite the tidy profit when his move to a European giant finally occurs.

Yet Sviatchenko’s agent confirmed that the 25-year-old, who has emerged as Brendan Rodgers’ first choice centre-half this season, did not give a thought to a mid-season exit.

“Erik feels at home at the club and in the city,” Allan Bak Jensen told the Daily Record.

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Nonetheless, Sviatchenko may find that the decision is taken out of his hands eventually.

The Daily Record reported in early January that Rodgers understands and accepts the nature of the game up north.

In short, that the huge transfer fees offered by Scotland’s opulent neighbours means Celtic have little choice but to sell on their prized assets, albeit for a substantial profit.

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The Hoops bought and sold Fraser Forster, Van Dijk, Victor Wanyama, Ki Sung-Yeung, Gary Hooper, Adam Matthews and Joe Ledley to the Premier League in recent seasons and it seems inevitable that Sviatchenko will follow in their footsteps eventually.