CELTIC HAVE “NOT had one bid” for Moussa Dembele, according to Brendan Rodgers, despite speculation that he close to leaving the club.
Dembele has been linked with a number of clubs across Europe and there were reports during the festive period that Premier League side Brighton had made a bid for the 21-year-old.
Those reports have been dismissed by Brighton manager Chris Hughton and Rodgers has since emphasised that, while there have been plenty of enquiries, the Scottish outfit had not received any concrete offers for the striker.
The former Liverpool boss also expressed concern that the transfer speculation could have a detrimental impact on the France Under-21 international.
“My mind is that he’s a Celtic player and we have not had one bid,” Rodgers told the Daily Express. ”I don’t want to keep going on about it because it can affect players, especially young players.
“There has been a lot of noise around Moussa for 18 months now but let’s be clear, we’ve not had one bid.
“There have been enquiries around him, but not one bid. He has been linked with about 16 clubs, but the bottom line is you have to play football. Always be ready to play and then, if a move comes, it comes.”
Dembele, who joined Celtic from Fulham in 2016, scored 32 goals in 49 games in all competitions during his maiden season at the club, but his second campaign has been disrupted by injury.
As a result, his goal return this term has been less impressive and Rodgers has urged the young forward not to get distracted by the speculation.
“All the talk can be very unhelpful for a young player,” added the Northern Irish coach. ”If you are an experienced player, you get used to it.
“But if you’ve been linked with so many clubs over a period of time, big clubs, less clubs, foreign clubs, British clubs, then it surely can be unsettling. It’s not something that ends up being good for a player.
“He always had a plan when he came here. He wanted to play for a big club, show he could cope with pressure, develop as a player, become a winner and see where that takes him.
“If you are a young French international and are progressing like he is then there’s going to be a level of interest.
“What’s important for him is to concentrate on what you can control, which is the football.”
- Omni
