Celtic face competition in their pursuit of another potential candidate to replace title-winning manager Martin O’Neill.
Heavily linked with the Parkhead post, Motherwell boss Jens Berthel Askou has joined French club Toulouse. And now Burnley have stepped up their interest in Wales national coach Craig Bellamy.
Bellamy is believed to be prominent on Celtic’s radar should O’Neill step down from his role. While Bellamy has said publicly he is fully committed to Wales, that has failed to stop serious interest in the 46-year-old.
Herald Sport understands Burnley have made a fresh approach for Bellamy after identifying him as the man to replace Scott Parker and lead the club back to the Premier League after relegation.
But the prospect of a return to Celtic Park, where he starred during a six-month loan in 2005, would seriously tempt the ambitious manager to leave the international scene.
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In 2005, Bellamy had a six-month loan spell at Parkhead under Martin O’Neill, scoring nine goals in 15 appearances. Should Celtic, Burnley, or any other club wish to make a move, they will be forced to pay at least £700,000 to release him from his current contract.
Back at Parkhead as interim manager, O’Neill won his fourth SPFL title last weekend and can now secure a domestic double by beating Dunfermline in this weekend’s Scottish Cup Final.
As yet, Celtic have yet to offer any indication on whether they would like O’Neill to stay on to oversee a huge summer rebuild, and Hampden could be the 74-year-old’s final game in charge.
O’Neill’s current assistant, Shaun Maloney, has been earmarked for a senior operations role in a restructuring of the football operation and is likely to work closely with the new manager on reshaping the squad.
Ferencvaros manager Robbie Keane is another candidate admired by controlling shareholder Dermot Desmond, while Motherwell’s Askou and outgoing Portugal manager Roberto Martinez have also been linked with the role.
