Celtic midfielder Nir Bitton is reportedly wanted by Burnley.
Celtic boss Neil Lennon has told The Scottish Sun that talks are ongoing with Nir Bitton as speculation surrounds a potential move to England.
The Bhoys swooped to land Bitton in 2013 from FC Ashdod in his native Israel, with Lennon using his connections with agent Dudu Dahan to get a deal done.
Lennon left the club just a year later but has now returned to Parkhead with Bitton still at the club, but his future is a little unclear.
The 28-year-old’s contract expires next summer, and that leaves Celtic vulnerable to losing him either now or at the end of the season.
Burnley are allegedly eyeing a £1million swoop for Biton in January, seemingly looking to take advantage of the fact that he can walk for nothing next summer.
Now, Lennon has admitted that talks are ongoing about a new deal for Bitton, and the midfielder has indicated that he wants to stay at Parkhead.
“We don’t want Nir to go, we want him to stay. So talks are ongoing,” said Lennon. “We don’t want him to run down his contract, for sure. He has made indications that he would like to stay and that is what we want too. We will see how that pans out. Nir’s happy here and we’re hoping we’ll get a positive resolution to that as we go along,” he added.
Bitton may not be a star, but he’s been a valuable squad player as a holding midfielder or even as a centre back when needed, using his height to good effect.
With almost 200 Celtic appearances to his name, Bitton has been valued by three managers now, and Celtic will hope to keep him out of Burnley’s clutches come January.
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