The Bhoys may have to forfeit a transfer fee for the player they are trying to shift.
Celtic are likely to miss out on selling first-team outcast Efe Ambrose in January as the defender is determined to remain in the UK to qualify for a British passport, according to a report from the Daily Mail.
Ambrose, a former regular in the Bhoys backline, is so out of favour that he has not appeared on a single occasion in domestic competition this season, with his only two games coming in the early stages of the Champions League in July.
He came close to a move away in late August after a reported £300,000 move to Belgian side Standard Liege fell through after the player rejected the deal at a late stage.
Since then he has been a complete spare part at Parkhead, and the Hoops had hoped to offload the Nigerian for a fee in next month’s transfer window.
However, according to a report from the Mail, Ambrose will not entertain the possibility of moving abroad as he wants to fulfill the requirements to gain a British passport.
Ambrose has to remain in the UK as a permanent resident for five years if he is to qualify for a passport.
He joined Celtic in 2012, and as such he would need to remain in Britain until at least next summer if he is to get his wish.
The 28-year-old’s contract at Celtic is up in six months, and so any fee they could get for the unwanted player would be limited anyway.
However, the only likely move for Ambrose now appears to be a loan switch to a Championship club, with Wolves and Blackburn allegedly leading the chase, and so Celtic appear destined to see the defender wind down his contract and leave for free in the summer.
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