Victor Wanyama is still expected to leave Celtic to seek his fortune in the Barclays Premier League this summer, despite the midfielder having turning down a proposed move to Southampton.
The St Mary's club had a bid of £12.5m accepted last week but the deal appeared to have collapsed last night. Cardiff City now look favourites for his signature while Everton are also monitoring the situation.
It is thought that Cardiff are prepared to offer more lucrative personal terms to the 21-year-old than Southampton but are unwilling to match the transfer fee, while Everton might have to sell first before tabling an offer. Still, it seems inevitable that the player will leave Parkhead this summer.
Wanyama's exit will set a new Scottish transfer record, bettering the £9.5m that Celtic brought in following the sale of Aiden McGeady to Spartak Moscow three years ago. It was a fee which allowed Neil Lennon to start rebuilding a squad which he had inherited from Tony Mowbray.
Lennon will expect that he will once more be given a significant portion with which to replace one of most lucrative assets.
Wanyama is on holiday at the moment and has been reported as stating that he will bide his time before committing to a destination. "I have just heard of the same interest in the media and currently I am on holiday enjoying myself.
"I will speak to my agent to find out the true position," said the Kenyan. "For now I want to enjoy my holiday."
The summer could become more uncomfortable for Celtic supporters, though, as clubs continue to circle goalkeeper Fraser Forster and striker Gary Hooper. It is understood that the latter has informed the club that he wants to leave and sees his future elsewhere.
Celtic will accept around £5m for the Englishman, who knocked back the offer of a new contract with the club in January. Hull City made an offer of £4.5m which was turned down earlier this summer, but it is expected that there will be further interest in the player and the Parkhead club are prepared to sell.
Forster, meanwhile, is understood to have drawn interest from Paolo di Canio's Sunderland after the club sold last season's first-choice goalkeeper Simon Mignolet to Liverpool for £11m. While Forster is believed to be settled at Celtic, he is desperate to get into the England set up ahead of the 2014 World Cup finals.
He forced his way into Roy Hodgson's squad last season following an impressive European campaign with Celtic, only to then find himself dropped at the end of the campaign. It is believed the player feels privately that his only genuine chance of making the finals in Brazil is if he is playing regularly in the Barclays Premier League.
His departure could then pave the way for a return to Celtic for Shay Given. The 37-year-old Aston Villa goalkeeper has been linked with a loan move to the club where he started his career, a deal which may appeal to Lennon if the Celtic manager does not feel he has adequate time to source a permanent replacement should Forster go. A move would suit Villa too, since manager Paul Lambert is keen to get Given off the wage bill as the Irishman is thought to earn over £60,000-a-week.
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