Is Neil Lennon wasting his breath trying to keep Celtic star Dedryck Boyata?

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You simply have to admire Neil Lennon after he hinted at trying to keep Dedryck Boyata.

The Belgian international is closing in on the final couple of months of his Celtic contract. Former manager Brendan Rodgers made no secret of the fact he wanted to keep Boyata too.

Yet those calls were met with dismissive claims from Boyata’s agent, Jacques Lichtenstein. The agent said in January that discussing a new contract with the Hoops was “not an option”. 

Boyata also hasn’t helped the situation. He posted a teasing social media video last year that hinted at a new contract being signed. In the end, it turned out to be nothing.

But that hasn’t stopped Lennon from hinting at getting in the Belgian’s ear. As quoted by the Daily Record, Lennon said the following on the centre-back:

“Boyata was outstanding for me the other night at Hearts, outstanding, and I like him a lot. I like him as a player.

“We will sit down and discuss things.”

Good luck with that Lenny

Let’s put all cards on the table – Boyata has been sensational this season. His performances throughout his 35 appearances for club and country have been consistently positive.

But the fact that it wasn’t 36 appearances will still infuriate many in the Celtic support. His failure to take part in Athens was massively frustrating, and Celtic ultimately bowed out of the Champions League qualifiers.

And since then, it hasn’t looked anywhere near likely that Boyata would sign a new contract. Arguments between his agent and the club hasn’t helped, and he’s already pretty much confirmed Boyata is leaving this summer with his “not an option” quote on a new contract.

Therefore, what hope does Lenny truly have? Considering the fact that it’s not even certain whether Lennon will be here this summer, it’s tricky to ask Boyata to commit to the club when a summer of uncertainty could be on the cards.

Lennon’s right to like what Boyata brings to the table. He’s been a warrior for the most part this season, and is a massive reason Celtic are closing in on a treble-treble.

But the majority of Celtic supporters have surely just about given up on keeping Boyata. His agent has spelled it out for us, and a replacement in the summer must now be the top priority.