Neil Lennon has intimated his desire to offer Celtic winger James Forrest a contract extension, a move that would effectively mean the Scotland internationalist would finish his career with the Parkhead side. Lennon is also optimistic of securing the signature of a right-back before the following this week's UEFA Champions League tie against FK Sarajevo on Wednesday night.
Forrest signed an extension to keep him at the club until 2022 in September last year under Brendan Rodgers but such is Lennon’s regard for last season’s Player of the Year that he is keen to further tie him down.
“He wants to extend his contract which is great,” said Lennon. “Rather than talking about people leaving the club we’ve got one there who wants to stay. So that’s one we’ll look at. I think he’s still got two years left on his deal but we’ve already talked about an extension. Well, me and him have!
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“He’s a top, top player. He’s been brilliant. From the day I first saw him until now, over that 10-year period he’s been magnificent for the club. He’s achieved a lot but there’s still that hunger in him. He’s from a humble background. He’s not on social media. He’s not interested. He just wants to play football.
“Physically he looks great. He’s got strong thighs and shoulders, quite broad but compact. And he’s still got that great burst of pace. The quality and speed of his technique is superb and he’s a good finisher when he’s in there as well. He does everything very clean.
“He still has that desire.”
Celtic’s hunt for a right-back has become a staple of the transfer window but Lennon is hopeful of bringing in a replacement for the departed Mikael Lustig before the next round of the Champions League qualifiers.
READ MORE: Celtic still hopeful of persuading Liam Morrison to snub Bayern Munich
“We are looking to try and get one in,” said Lennon. “If we can negotiate the second leg on Wednesday we will try and get one or two players in for the second round because the squad still needs a bit of quality and a bit of depth.
“We had a four hour recruitment meeting on Wednesday on one or two positions. It is a lengthy process. I spoke to Brendan about it and they were looking for a right-back for a couple of years to come in and challenge Mika and it was difficult to find and to find the right one. It is a question of being patient. The window opens up as you go along but it is important to try and stay in the competition while you are at it.”
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