Rodgers confirms the club will replace Dembele

Brendan Rodgers has spoken out about the possibility of Moussa Dembele leaving Celtic this month, with Everton, Brighton and Crystal Palace reportedly interested.

The Hoops manager was pretty laid back about the situation and declared he’d replace the Frenchman this month, should he decide to leave Parkhead.

The striker was left out of the starting eleven last night as the Bhoys took all three points against Patrick Thistle in a 2-1 victory.

The manager admitted he’d been left on the bench because of the speculation surrounding his future.

Rodgers said:

If Moussa goes we need to bring in another one. Simple. Players need competition and we need to be competitive. If Moussa is in our squad then great. If he is not we’ll see by the end of January.

The Northern Irishman also confirmed there was no trouble coming from Demeble and that he was acting professionally about the situation.

The forward is rated at around £20million but the Hoops could well see that price rise when taking into account the ‘January premium’, as well as the short period of time the club have left to replace him this month.

However this ends, it’s clear Rodgers is ready to raid the transfer market to ensure he’s not left short by any possible Dembele departure.