CELTIC have rejected Norwich City's £5m bid for Gary Hooper and told the Barclays Premier League club that it will take a substan-tially bigger offer for them to even consider selling their leading goalscorer.

Neil Lennon, the manager, who expressed his annoyance that Norwich had made their approach public, met Hooper's representatives at Celtic's training ground yesterday with a view to extending the player's contract that expires at the end of next season. Lennon also made clear the club have no plans to sell the Englishman, and that Hooper (inset) has indicated he is in no rush to leave, either.

"We looked at the bid, we rejected it and it's as you were," said Lennon. "Gary knows what we think of him and the club has made it clear to Norwich that their valuation is not acceptable. We're probably going to get it again and it might rumble on. I spoke to his representatives and we've made our position clear. We've made an offer on a new contract and we're waiting to hear from them.

"Gary's not unsettled, at all. He's very happy here. His take on it is that he wants to stay, he wants to play in the Champions League and he wants to have a go in all the competitions we're still in.