CELTIC may offer Kris Commons a coaching role as a sweetener to sign a new contract.
The 31-year-old's current deal runs out at the end of this season and although there have been encouraging, on/off discussions for a number of weeks, no new agreement has been reached.
Commons joined Celtic from Derby County for just £300,000 in January, 2011, and has proved to be an exceptional piece of business, scoring 14 goals in his first five months at the club and, after a poor first full season, weighing in with 19 and then 32 in the following two campaigns.
Having announced his retirement from international football to concentrate on his club career with Celtic, Commons is understood to be settled and happy in Glasgow but has continued to consider his options before committing to what may be one of the last major contracts of his career. He has previously expressed an interest in coaching and management to former manager Neil Lennon and now to Ronny Deila, and Celtic may offer some sort of coaching position or responsibilities in an attempt to persuade him to sign another deal.
"I have a good experience with players who have some coaching experience," said Deila. "They think about what I really mean and they learn how to express themselves to others, and that gives them a better understanding of the game. That's a new task for them. And you get leadership from that.
"Kris loves the club and wants to stay. Him and Scott [Brown] want to have a future in football after they finish playing football as well . . . Kris wants to stay and we want to keep him and I think those are the most important things, so things will be arranged. I think he would be prepared to sacrifice a little bit to stay. We also have to be happy that he wants to stay. He is an important player for us; he showed that with his goal against Dinamo Zagreb. He is also a player with a good attitude, he wants to get better."
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