Celtic have made a positive start to the New Year and will be hoping to hit the ground running once the Scottish Premiership returns this weekend.
Brendan Rodgers will also hope to add to his squad in the transfer market, given that Nicolas Kuhn is the only new player to arrive at Parkhead this month.
Retaining key assets will also be at the forefront of the Irishman’s mind, with the likes of Matt O’Riley attracting interest from La Liga table-toppers Girona.
Cameron Carter-Vickers is also someone who has been linked with a move elsewhere. SBI Soccer claimed last week that West Ham United, Nottingham Forest and Brentford are all monitoring the United States international.
Becoming a key part of the furniture at the Hoops, the 26-year-old has made over 100 appearances in green and white, helping himself to five goals, two assists and five major trophies along the way, per Transfermarkt.
Looking to keep hold of his star man, Rodgers seemed to communicate that talks are underway regarding a new contract for the former Tottenham Hotspur man.
He stated: “There’s no doubt that Cam is one of the pillars of the team and, of course, we’d want to do that (extend his deal). That will happen in time, I’m sure. There have been talks on that between the club and his representatives so let’s see where it goes.”
Rodgers makes conflicting comment on Carter-Vickers
In a slight turn of events, Rodgers has now taken the step of cooling talk of a new deal being imminently on the table for Carter-Vickers.
Speaking after the Hoops’ victory over Buckie Thistle in the Scottish Cup, the 50-year-old told BBC Radio Sportsound when asked if he had been offered an extension: “No. I didn’t know that, so…”He then added: “(I’d know) probably before you, I would say.”
As it stands, Carter-Vickers has two-and-a-half years left on his current terms in Glasgow; however, despite reports to the contrary, there is a possibility that a new contract is further away than first thought.
Cameron Carter-Vickers renewal would make sense
Logically speaking, tying players down to long-term contracts is a smart way to deter keen suitors from firming up their interest in a player.
Celtic have already moved to ensure the likes of Reo Hatate and Kyogo Furuhashi are in that boat, meaning that anyone with a vested attraction towards their services would likely need to pay astronomical money to have a chance of securing their signature.
Doing likewise with Carter-Vickers would make total sense in that regard and you would hope that is the case, given his importance to the Bhoys’ Scottish Premiership title push.
Amassing an average Sofascore match rating of 7.28/10 in league action, the Southend-born man has provided a calming influence in Rodgers’ backline, completing three clearances along with 5.8 ball recoveries per fixture.
Taking into account admiration from elsewhere, Celtic should be pulling out all the stops to keep Carter-Vickers at Parkhead.
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