Lennon hopeful pair will remain at Hoops

Celtic manager Neil Lennon remains hopeful of keeping Fraser Forster and Mohamed Elyounoussi in Glasgow despite the financial implications of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Southampton pair have joined Celtic’s preseason training sessions because their loan deals do not expire until the end of June.

Goalkeeper Forster has two years left on his Saints contract and is reportedly attracting interest from other Premier League clubs after an impressive campaign in Scotland, while £16 million winger Elyounoussi has three years remaining on his deal at St Mary’s.

When asked about the prospect of keeping the pair, Lennon said: “I don’t think it’s unrealistic. They are two players who added a lot to the squad last year and made a really positive contribution. So they are two players we would dearly love to have for next season.

“But we just have to wait and see. They are not our players. We will see how negotiations go.”

However, Lennon admits the Scottish champions will generally bide their time over bringing new players in as they wait to see how the market develops in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis once other European leagues finish.

“We don’t know what the market is going to look like when it opens up again,” he said.

Lennon has already reduced his squad after Jonny Hayes and Jozo Simunovic left when their contracts expired.

The goalkeeper situation is further unclear as Craig Gordon is out of contract.

Lennon said: “Talks are ongoing between the club and Craig. We haven’t seen him, he is not at training at the minute.”