Celtic must win the SPL title and book their place in next season’s Champions League to satisfy the ambitions of Beram Kayal and prevent the midfield star pursuing a move south.
The 22-year-old has already caught the eye of several Premiership clubs, with Manchester United and Liverpool heading the chasing pack.
Kayal has revealed he has spoken with manager Neil Lennon about his future, even though he only arrived at Parkhead from Maccabi Haifa in a £1.2m move last summer.
The man who scored the winner for Israel in their European Championship match against Latvia at the weekend, and who will play for his country in another crunch qualifying tie tonight against Georgia, believes it will take an offer of around £10m for the Hoops to consider selling him.
He is content to continue to develop with Celtic, but, through his agent Dudu Dahan, has made it clear he wants a crack at playing in the Champions League.
If Lennon’s side can clinch the SPL title this season, the door will be open for him to get that chance with Celtic, though they would still have to negotiate the qualifying rounds.
Lennon considers Kayal to be one of the foundation stones in the side he is building, and the player is under contract for another three years.
But, with the interest he is attracting from top clubs in England, the opening of the transfer window could see Celtic’s determination to retain him put to the test.
Kayal revealed: “Neil told me that Sir Alex Ferguson has spoken about me. He also said they like me at a lot of other teams in England.
“Kenny Dalglish indicated that he wants me. But the manager said he won’t let me go.â€
Kayal is not about to rock the boat as he appreciates the chance Celtic have given him and is prepared to focus on helping them regain the championship and Scottish Cup.
“I have no choice, unless someone makes an offer Celtic can’t refuse,†he said.
“However, an offer of £10m could change the club’s tinking.â€