Alistair Johnston and Greg Taylor have both been in the Celtic spotlight over the last 24 hours as Brendan Rodgers faced questions about their futures.
Reports surfaced earlier this week that Celtic are set to open negotiations with Johnston to make him one of the highest earners within the Bhoys squad.
Johnston is still on the initial terms he signed after his move from CF Montreal but has become a key member of the team and the club want to tie him down to his peak years on a new salary that reflects that.
Taylor meanwhile has a contract that expires at the end of this season, meaning there’s a sense of urgency to secure his future at the club.
What Brendan Rodgers has said about Greg Taylor
Speaking in a media conference on Friday, Rodgers made it clear he wants the left-back to sign a new deal.
The Celtic boss said: “He’s a fantastic player for us. How he makes that position work, how we want it to look, he’s first class. He knows we really want him to stay and hopefully, between his representatives and the club, we can organise that because he is a player that I really rate.
“I like everything about Greg. I love his personality, I love his spirit, I love how he plays the game of course. He plays the game like a midfield player coming from that outside position in, so he makes it difficult for the opposition.
“I really hope that we can tie him down. In this period now he would be a real priority for us to try and get something sorted.”
Rodgers responds to Alistair Johnston contract reports
The Bhoys boss was also asked about Johnston and similarly expressed a desire for him to be at Celtic for the long term.
Rodgers said: “There’s nothing that I’m aware of. Listen, we’d love to have him here for as long as he possibly can, and he’s got three and a half years left on his deal.
“He’s playing ever so well, I think you see he’s got his power and his strength and his running ability and he’s in a really, really good place, so naturally as a manager I’d want him to be here, but that’s something between his representatives and the club really.”
Celtic have been proactive in handing out new contracts over the last 18 months so hopefully we’ll hear news of both players making fresh commitments to the club before too long, with Taylor now a clear priority for Rodgers.
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