Neil Lennon thinks James Forrest is now worth £25m

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Celtic winger James Forrest marked his new contract with a goal last night.

Celtic boss Neil Lennon has told The Scottish Sun that he thinks James Forrest is worth around £25million after signing his new contract with the club.

The Bhoys announced on Wednesday afternoon that winger Forrest has signed a new four-year deal with the club, keeping him at Parkhead until 2023.

That was a major boost for Celtic just hours before facing St Mirren at Parkhead, and Lennon saw his side fittingly claim another victory.

Mohamed Elyounoussi opened the scoring after the break from a goalmouth scramble, before Forrest cut inside on his left foot and drove home the second.

It was written in the stars that Forrest would score just hours after the ink was drying on his new contract, and he unsurprisingly received praise from Lennon after the game.

Lennon hailed Forrest for being ‘inventive’, praised his goal as ‘brilliant’ and labelled his all-round performance ‘exceptional’, believing that there’s even more to come from him because he’s now in his prime.

Lennon also noted that Forrest is ‘priceless’ to him, but if Celtic were to now sell the 28-year-old, he would be worth around £25million – but made it clear that he’s not for sale after signing that new deal.

“We gave him a new deal and I don’t care how much money we pay…he’s priceless to me,” said Lennon. “What would he cost? You’d start the bidding at £25m. That’s what I would ask for anyway. But he’s not going anywhere – we’ve got him secure and he’s happy. I’m sure there has been interest in him but James has never wanted to leave. To have him his pleasing and that will settle him down and hopefully he will continue with his consistency.”

“He is inventive and that’s him got ten goals already this season. That’s an amazing return. You saw his quality, scored a brilliant goal and was exceptional. James is in his peak years and is part of a front four that can be devastating when they turn it on,” he added.

That price tag is the same amount Celtic sold Kieran Tierney to Arsenal for in August (BBC), with Lennon seemingly feeling that Forrest’s proven, consistent quality deserves to be recognised as much as Tierney’s potential was, but it does seem unlikely that any club will now look to pay £25million for Forrest as he approaches his 30’s.