Tony Mowbray will discover today whether Marc-Antoine Fortune will put sporting ambition before pound notes and become the first signing of his Celtic revolution.

Tony Mowbray will discover today whether Marc-Antoine Fortune will put sporting ambition before pound notes and become the first signing of his Celtic revolution.

The manager revealed there is "a substantial gap" between what Celtic are able to offer compared to the enticing wages promised by Hull City and West Ham United. It is believed the difference could be as much as £10,000 per week after AS Nancy accepted transfer bids of £3.8m from Celtic and Hull but Peter Lawwell, the chief executive, has been working hard to convince Fortune that Celtic would be the best vehicle for his career.

Mowbray also remains optimistic the lure of the Champions League and a title challenge in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League will convince the French striker to reunite with the manager who helped raise his profile by signing him on loan at West Bromwich Albion.

Mowbray has made a series of phone calls to Fortune to outline his plans and reaffirm his importance to the rebuilding work at Celtic Park.

He has already made contingency plans in the event of Fortune opting for England and after confirming the departures of Paul Hartley and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, suggested four new signings is his intention before the start of the new season.

"I think the boy's first choice would be to come here," said Mowbray, "but he has more than a few Premier League clubs after him and it is the eternal decision between football and finance and it is a difficult one to make. He will make his decision and I will respect it and would never judge anybody.

I think we would find it very difficult to get to the levels of the Premier League clubs but I told him what the team is about, what role I see for him here and what opportunities he could have.

"It will be done in the next day or two I would suggest.

If he comes here he will have given up better options financially. He has some very attractive offers. I sit here hopeful but realistic."

When asked how Celtic's offer compared financially, Mowbray spoke openly of his challenges in the transfer market. "If he goes elsewhere I will not sit here and say he is a money grabber because he is a good lad," said Mowbray.

"He came into the game at 21, he played in the Dutch league for little money and it was only when we got him over here to West Brom that he had the opportunity to showcase his talents to other Premier League clubs. If it has come to the time when he has to look to secure his future, so be it. I came in here with my eyes open: I came from a club that potentially could pay more money in wages per week. As I found out when we played against some of the established clubs, the salary terms are mind-boggling. It is a world the normal man would never touch but who am I to tell somebody what route to take? I will not take the moral high ground.

"I think the boy accepts if it was a level playing field financially, there would be no decision to be made but there is a substantial gap.

I don't like superstar footballers' getting three times as much as everyone else. I don't buy into that. I like to keep conformity."

Budget balancing was a primary consideration in not entering a bidding war with Burnley over Steven Fletcher. The Hibernian striker signed for Owen Coyle's side on Tuesday and Mowbray admitted that for such a fee - £2.8m up front plus a £700,000 add-on - he would prefer an experienced striker and not a promising 22-year-old.

"He is a very talented young man but I just felt that if we were going to spend that type of money he was going for, he needed to make an instant impact in the team," said Mowbray.

"So I asked myself: is he ready to be the main striker and bang in 20 or 25 goals? Maybe I am doing him a disservice but my own view is that he probably needs another year or so. Ideally, I would like a striker to come in and take the burden."

Celtic have also been linked with Fortune's team-mate at Nancy, the Cameroonian midfielder, Landry N'Guemo, as part of the rebuilding programme. Mowbray expects to make up to four new signings before the season starts. "If nobody goes out I would like to think if I was looking for the right kind of player, I would be looking at four to start with," he said. "If we propel a year or two years forward that means the squad would develop each transfer window.

"We did not win the league last season and we do not have the guarantee of the Champions League group stages. We have to move things around a little. I am not asking for a treasure chest of money but a bit of manipulation to get the right balance. I am not going to demand £10m for a centre forward. You can get good players for nothing and good young ones for a little. To buy them ready-made is expensive."

Mowbray said Hartley and Vennegoor of Hesselink have left the club. "I had a few good conversations with Paul and he is going to look at other options," he said. "My only dealings with him in the past where when he was banging in goals for Hearts against Hibs. He understands my job and I wish him will.

"I have had no conversation with Jan but he is a free agent now and is able to look for employment elsewhere."