The 3 Celtic players who should be next in line for contract extensions

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Today, Celtic announced that Scott Bain has signed a new agreement that ties him to the club until 2024.

It’s a tremendous day for the Hoops back-up stopper. It’s a good day for Ange Postecoglou also as he gets a player he clearly feels he can rely upon to commit to his Celtic revolution.

However, Bain isn’t the only player who’s going to need to commit himself to the club in 2022. There are some concerning deal expirations coming up in the summer of 2023. And whilst that still seems like a while away, we’re already less than a year before they can start to talking to other clubs.

But firstly, there’s an urgent matter that needs dealt with ASAP. Karamoko Dembele can already speak to other clubs with his contract expiring in the summer.

The right-wing dynamo suffered a horrendous injury in pre-season that saw him undergo surgery. He’s missed the entire first half of the campaign as his Celtic career has frustratingly stalled. Thankfully, however, he’s back in training and looking to impress Ange Postecoglou again [Scottish Sun].

In the past, he’s been linked with some meaty interest. The likes of Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal have been said to have sniffed in his direction in the past [The Sun]. Given how high-profile his career has been without even making an impact at first-team level, the prospect of signing him up for nothing is bound to interest plenty. Getting him tied to the club is a key priority in the first half of the year.

The Celtic players whose contracts are up in the summer of 2023

Celtic actually have some talented first-team regulars scheduled to depart in the summer of 2023. James Forrest, Christopher Jullien, Tom Rogic, and Nir Bitton will all be free to look at potential options in just under 12 months.

The 2 that standout here at the moment are Rogic and Forrest. The former has made a stunning impact under Ange this season with 3 goals and 8 assists all in [Transfermarkt]. He’s back playing 90 minutes regularly again and is currently enjoying a fine spell injury-free for a change.

Forrest has still to sort out his injury problems before he’s handed anything long-term. Celtic fans are certainly growing frustrated at the inconsistency in his availability. But he was still a big part of Postecoglou’s plans in the early stages of the season with 3 goals and 3 assists. That’s 6 direct goal contributions in 16 games. Not bad going given he was still getting used to a big change.

Forrest has already shown his importance to the cause this term. If not for him, we may not have managed to make the Premier Sports Cup final against Hibernian for example. But a run of first-team games without picking up more niggles would be ideal before anything is signed.

The likes of Jullien and Bitton could also easily come into contention for new deals. However, the former has been out for well over a year and the latter isn’t an immediate first-team pick when everyone is fit. The evolution of the squad will play a key role in whether new deals are handed out to either.

For now, however, Dembele, Rogic, and Forrest appear to be names you would imagine are next in line for offers.

In other news, Celtic defender Greg Taylor provides important update on frustrating shoulder issue