Brown’s contract is still up in the air, but talks are said to be going on with Celtic.
Stiliyan Petrov has told the Daily Record that Celtic must offer Scott Brown a new contract and keep him at the club, rather than letting him leave with his deal set to expire at the end of the season.
The 33-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season and although talks are said to have been staged, a deal is yet to be agreed between Celtic and Brown’s entourage.
The Scottish Sun have also claimed that Australian outfit Western Melbourne want to sign Brown as their marquee signing, after finally being granted A-League status.
But former Celtic star Petrov believes Brendan Rodgers’ side have to give the veteran midfielder a new, extended deal to keep him at Celtic as he has developed iconic status and can mirror the impact of Paul Lambert.
“He still looks strong and hungry. Players like Scott are so important to the club,” Petrov said. “He’s been loyal, he has played through injuries at times and always gives everything. He deserves to be at the club as long as possible.
“You can’t replace a guy like Scott so why would you want to? Scott is such a huge influence on and off the pitch at Celtic. I look at the example of Paul Lambert.
“In his past couple of years he wasn’t playing as regularly. There would be games he would sit out, or maybe start and come off, but he was always around the place playing a major role.”
A knee injury saw Brown miss a handful of games throughout November but he has now returned to action and made his 500th appearance in all competitions for the Hoops during their 3-0 win over Motherwell.
Since moving to Celtic in 2007 from Hibernian, Brown has helped Celtic win eight Scottish Premiership titles, four Scottish Cups and five Scottish League Cups. He is a legend at Parkhead and a favourite among fans.
But his future hangs in the balance, as talks continue over a new deal.
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