The future of Callum McGregor is starting to dominate the headlines at Celtic.
It has previously been suggested that the Celtic captain could reunite with Brendan Rodgers in Saudi Arabia after he expressed his displeasure at the club’s lack of ambition last season.
It has been well-documented that Celtic were a mess on and off the pitch last term, and it seems as though McGregor was only willing to sign a new deal if he was happy with the direction the champions of Scotland were heading.
But when McGregor recently switched to the same agency representing Rodgers, it just intensified the talk that the Hoops hero could leave this summer.
However, Ryan McDonald has told the Daily Record that, despite these links to Saudi and a possible reunion with Rodgers, the former Celtic boss ‘isn’t going to offer’ McGregor that ‘life-changing’ move to the Middle East.
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Brendan Rodgers won’t offer Callum McGregor a ‘life-changing’ Saudi Arabia move
“We asked Martin for an update,” said McDonald. “Whether he has spoken to Callum, and he did say that he was planning to sit down with Callum over the next few days.
“Maybe we will find out a bit more when we head over to the training centre tomorrow. I think Martin is well aware that Callum has changed agents. He acknowledged that and said, ‘Yeah, so I have heard.’
“He didn’t offer any guarantees, which I found surprising. Whenever a footballer changes agents, there is usually a motive behind it, especially if he is your captain.
“He is 33. Callum has dedicated his best years to Celtic. You think he is just going to see out the rest of his career there.
“There is talk of this money-spinning move to Saudi Arabia. We obviously know the close relationship he has with Brendan Rodgers. Whether that’s going to transpire, I am not so sure.
“It would be a life-changing move to go to Saudi. But from what I have heard is that Brendan Rodgers isn’t going to offer him that.
“I know you put two and two together, Anton Rodgers was pictured with him and the new agency.”
Talk around McGregor’s Celtic future is starting to get confusing
After Celtic won the title last season in dramatic fashion against Hearts, go listen back to what the likes of Kieran Tierney and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain said about the man with the armband.
The duo hailed his influence behind the scenes at Celtic Park, especially when the club was going through choppy waters.
If Celtic were to lose him this summer, it would be a sucker punch, and it would take a big, big character to replace him.
But this talk around McGregor is starting to get confusing.
On the one hand, he has switched agencies, and that after he didn’t fully commit himself to the club last season, but who can blame him?
That probably indicates that the retired Scotland international is preparing himself for an exit.
But if it’s true that Rodgers isn’t going to bring him to Al Qadsiah and offer him his last big pay cheque, then you wonder about the motive behind McGregor changing agents.
Surely he can’t be planning to go elsewhere other than reuniting with Rodgers, unless new Al Nassr boss Ange Postecoglou is willing to take him in?!
Perhaps McGregor is sending out his biggest warning yet to the Celtic board.
Either way, some clarity is needed over McGregor’s future sooner rather than later, and it’s positive to hear that O’Neill will be sitting down with his skipper very soon.
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