Celtic boss Neil Lennon has admitted that he doesn’t know if Mohamed Elyounoussi will still be at Celtic Park next season.
The on-loan Southampton man has been excellent for the Hoops since joining the club in the summer transfer window. He has scored five goals, and has firmly established himself in the first-team.
However, Lennon says that there are a number of factors to take into consideration before he knows if the Hoops can sign the player on a permanent deal.
“He’s not done enough, but he’s done very well. Again, we’re talking about affordability here, he’s not our player” Lennon said, as reported by the Daily Record.
“I can’t answer that”
“He’s brought an added dimension to the team. But whether or not a permanent deal can be done down the line, I can’t answer that at the minute” the Hoops boss concluded.
The fact that Southampton paid £16 million for the player is certainly a stumbling block to any potential deal that will keep him at Celtic permanently.
The Premier League side would want a similar fee from Celtic, you would imagine. There is also the fact that Southampton might not want to sell the player to the Hoops.
Might be given another chance by Premier League side
They could see how well he has done in his time in Glasgow, and give him a chance to establish himself in the Southampton first-team.
It might not be until towards the end of the season that we find out more about Elyounoussi’s future at Celtic. For now, the player will be concentrating on helping the Hoops to more success both domestically and in Europe.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
