NEIL LENNON still believes Anthony Stokes will be part of his plans next season despite the striker having rejected Celtic's offer of a new contract.

The 24-year-old Irishman has been in talks with the Clydesdale Bank Premier League champions for several weeks about an extension to his deal but, despite both parties insisting they are keen to reach agreement, no accord has yet been struck.

Speaking in Ireland yesterday at the launch of the 'Dublin Decider' – a friendly match against Liverpool at Aviva Stadium on August 10 – the Celtic manager disclosed the striker has turned down the latest offer. "We've offered him a new contract; he has knocked that back but negotiations are ongoing," Lennon said. "I'm pretty confident he'll be here next year. He's an important player. The opportunity is there for him to go and make a good career."

The same could be said of Lennon. He revealed yesterday he has been discussing his future with Dermot Desmond, the club's majority shareholder, since November, but assured fans that he feels in a "very precious position" in a "very stable job". He will not, therefore, try to capitalise on his enhanced reputation by pushing for a revision of his yearly rolling contract on more lucrative terms.

'There's more I want to achieve with Celtic," he said. "I'm in a very precious position and a very stable job and I've got to pay tribute to Mr Desmond and Peter Lawwell [chief executive] for the support they've given me in those three years. There are times when they could have easily turned away [from me], but in the difficult times they actually gave me more encouragement.

"You never stop learning. Even guys who have been in the game 20-odd years make mistakes, so you never stop learning. I have plenty to learn – whether I do it at Celtic or I do it elsewhere, who knows? I have had no offers [to leave]. It's speculation. It's nice to be linked with these things, but you take it all with a pinch of salt. I love what I do."

Lennon straight-batted all transfer inquiries while entertaining his Irish audience with complimentary words about Richard Dunne, of Aston Villa, Sean St Ledger, his Republic of Ireland central defensive partner, and Kevin Doyle, the Wolves striker whom Celtic tried to sign on loan in January. Lennon did concede he would have a little more to spend this summer, while adhering to the club's general policy of one in, one out.

"The budget is what it always is," he said. "We've made really good income from the Champions League so we may have a little bit more to spend than in previous years, but we'll keep regurgitating the money and there will be bids coming in for players."

Talks reportedly have been opened with Vitoria Guimaraes over striker Amido Balde, but agreement has yet to be struck over a fee for the 22-year-old, with the Portuguese club looking for a sum in the region of £2.5m for a player who scored nine times in just 19 games last term.

The sale of Victor Wanyama would further bolster Celtic's budget, with the Kenyan midfielder believed to be interesting Stoke City. Senior sources at Parkhead are bracing themselves for a £10m offer and the player, in his homeland preparing for a fixture against Nigeria, did little to dampen such speculation.

"My fate is not in my own hands," he said. "All I can say for now is I am a Celtic player. I am not in control of what is happening regarding any transfer talks."

Further funds would be freed up should Lassad Nouioui return to Spain. The Tunisian internationalist signed a two-year deal last year, but has failed to establish himself and has attracted interest from La Liga. "I may have to look for a new team for the sake of my career," the striker said. "I know I have options in Spain, so we will have to wait and see."

The likelihood is that the player will have departed Celtic by the time the friendly with Liverpool comes around. Lennon, though, spoke with genuine enthusiasm about the game, which will offer his players as true a test as any friendly could. Brendan Rodgers, like his compatriot, has promised organisers that he will dispatch a serious team from Anfield for a fixture that should easily sell out the 52,000-capacity Aviva.

Lennon will enjoy his reunion with Rodgers, too, after watching his work with Liverpool with great interest. "As a young coach in my first year at Celtic, I went to see Brendan at Reading. I spent a couple of days with him," he said. "I learned a lot. I spoke to Brendan and learned his philo-sophy on the game. He had a great coaching time under Jose Mourinho and then did great things at Swansea and is now progressing Liverpool in the right way.

"It couldn't be easy for him, thrust into the limelight like that, but he has handled things on the field and some serious things off the field. I think he's dealt with them very, very well."