Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has insisted that it would take “something extraordinary” for him to leave the Parkhead side.
Rodgers has been linked with the soon-to-be-vacant Arsenal post following the news on Friday morning that Arsene Wenger’s 22-year-old association with the London club will come to a conclusion at the end of the season.
Celtic insiders are believed to be relaxed about the interest in the 45-year-old and Rodgers himself is in no rush to court further speculation.
Rodgers accepted that if there was concrete interest from Arsenal he would be willing to talk – but insisted that his focus remains on Celtic.
“I would always speak to the board,” he said. “It will take something extraordinary to take me away from here. I signed last summer, I came in on a year’s deal.
“The club offered me four years and I was happy to sign that. After this season I have three more years and I will be so happy if I can see that three years out.
“Because I love working here and I love the whole process of developing players, winning games and seeing the club progress.
“With this job, I’ve a lot to do here.”
Celtic’s majority shareholder, Dermot Desmond, was unperturbed by the interest when interviewed on the possibility of Rodgers returning south of the border.
“I’ve got a great relationship since I met Dermot,” said Rodgers. “Him and the board have got a really high level on intellect, they are clever guys and we speak a lot.
“It’s very open, very honest and that’s how it should be.
“I’ve always said that I’m living my dream here like they all do and I’ll go back into the real world again. I am obviously privileged to be here as the manager of Celtic.
“This is a huge club with big demands and I want to help the club grow and develop. In order to do that it’s about happiness.
“There will be somewhere I can go and maybe earn two or three times more money than where I am now but it’s not about that.
“I’ve worked through for 10 years as a young coach and still relatively young as a manager at 45. I am happy in my professional life and really content outside of that as well.”
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