Celtic defender Mikael Lustig is reportedly out of contract at the end of the season.
According to a report from Expressen, Malmo have made a lucrative contract offer to Mikael Lustig in the hope that they can tempt the Sweden international to leave Celtic this summer.
Lustig’s Parkhead future has been a talking point for some time now with his current Hoops deal up this summer. The right-back’s form has been a concern for a while, but there has arguably been some improvement since Neil Lennon’s return.
Nevertheless, there are set to be plenty of Celtic supporters who only want the 32-year-old to be a backup option for the Bhoys next season should he stick around.
According to Expressen, he has now been offered the chance to return to his home country, with Malmo making an offer which is apparently more lucrative than the deal that saw Sebastian Larsson return to Sweden with AIK.
The report adds that Lustig is set to have other offers from around Europe, and Celtic could still look to keep him beyond this season.
While Lustig – who earns £24,000-a-week, according to the Daily Star – may not be the player that Celtic fans want to be first-choice at right-back, the ideal scenario would surely still involve the defender staying at the club for next season.
The priority has to be signing a new marquee option in that area of the pitch that will be able to establish themselves in that position for years to come. But keeping Lustig for another year as an understudy would surely be worthwhile.
Celtic have already played over 60 games this season in all competitions, so cannot afford to have just one good player in each position. So holding onto Lustig will be beneficial if he is happy to not be first-choice.
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