Former Celtic defender Nir Bitton is currently in the midst of a contract standoff with Maccabi Tel-Aviv with his next destination still unclear, Israeli outlet Sport 1.
Bitton left Celtic Park last month after the 7-0 trophy day win over Motherwell. The former Ashdod midfielder was a reliable figure at Parkhead over the course of his 9 years in Glasgow. However, despite pre-season getting underway across many European clubs, Bitton has yet to find himself a team.
Last week it was reported in Israel that Nir had rejected an offer from Tel-Aviv [ONE]. That’s despite the fact the move to his boyhood club looked inevitable beforehand.
And now, Sport 1 have claimed that there’s a standoff between the club and the player. Maccabi still believe that Bitton will come round and accept the initial terms they’ve offered.
However, Bitton apparently wants more money from the club in order to commit himself to a return to the Israeli Premier League.
The veteran midfielder left Parkhead having made 271 appearances for the club [Transfermarkt].
Nir Bitton to Maccabi Tel-Aviv now up in the air after Celtic departure
There were times when Bitton looked certain to head to Tel-Aviv with seemingly no other club in serious contention for him. However, evidently, Nir isn’t going to simply accept any offer that comes his way.
Just because he’s left Celtic doesn’t mean that Bitton is ready to settle. He’ll still have ambitions ofr his career given he’s still only 30 years of age. Given his style of game too, he’s the kind of player who could have a lot more than just a couple more years ahead of him.
But as of right now, it’s anyone’s guess as to where he ends up next. Neil Lennon has been linked with a move to take his former midfielder to Omonia Nicosia in Cyprus [Sport 5]. The player himself, meanwhile, has previously stated that he doesn’t expect to return to Israel [Mako].
Clearly, Tel-Aviv have become a more live option since those comments. No doubt it would be a big coup for Israeli football to see Bitton return home too.
Nir has never once been the kind of player to doubt his own ability however. If there’s an option to compete at a higher level then you would fancy him to back his own talent and take it.
But for now, the speculation continues to revolve around a potential move to Tel-Aviv. It’ll be interesting to see how this one ends up.
In other news, Report: Tom Rogic makes decision on big-money offer after Celtic exit
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