Olivier Ntcham is set to stay at Celtic until the summer at least after Porto reportedly switched their transfer target.
The midfielder was a summer target for the Portuguese club, after a stellar first season at Parkhead.
Porto’s interested was reignited this month, however Celtic are set to hold onto the Frenchman.
With Celtic’s demands reportedly at £17.5m for the midfielder, The Daily Record are reporting Porto are set to switch their attentions elsewhere.
Ntcham had an outstanding first season at the club after signing from Man City for £4.5m in 2017.
The classy midfielder netted eight times in his debut season, including in the Scottish Cup final win over Motherwell.
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He linked up to great effect with his countrymen Moussa Dembele and Odsonne Edouard.
Following Dembele’s exit to Lyon, many thought Ntcham would follow his friend out of the club.
However, Ntcham stayed in the summer and marked his stay with a stunning display against Rangers.
He showed all of his class when completely dominating the game from start to finish, and deservedly scored the winner.
He’s struggled to hit those heights regularly this season however, and after injury currently finds himself out of the team.
His last appearance was a dismal display at Ibrox, along with most of his team mates.
A luxury player
Ntcham is potentially Celtic’s best player when he’s at the peak of his game.
He is an absolute class act in the middle of the park, but he is very inconsistent. He’s a bit of a luxury player for Celtic.
His performance at Ibrox summed up his season. He was ponderous in possession and couldn’t dominate against the same Rangers midfield he made mince meat of in September.
Many fans question if his heart is in it, which is a bit unfair considering his contribution.
Celtic are well within their rights to set a high asking price for the Frenchman. Whether any Celtic fan would haggle between £14m and £17m is another question.