John Hartson has suggested that Celtic should cash in on Dedryck Boyata if they can receive £10million for the centre-back.
As quoted by RTE, Boyata has had to deny allegations that he is refusing to play for the Hoops amid increased speculation surrounding his future at Parkhead after a solid World Cup with Belgium.
Brendan Rodgers has already confirmed that Fulham have seen a bid rejected for the 27-year-old, but Hartson reckons that if the money is right then Celtic should decide to let the former Manchester City player leave.
“Now, he has a year left and could go for nothing next summer, although I can’t see that happening,” said Hartson on the Glasgow Evening Times website.
“Celtic don’t need him hanging about, not when they will probably get £10m for him which is a pretty good deal.”
OPINION
Is everyone forgetting about Boyata’s performances for Celtic last season? The Belgium international was at the heart of a very rickety defence and made way too many mistakes for what you would expect for a player representing a treble-winning side. Boyata was also involved in heavy defeats to Paris Saint-Germain and Hearts, and it is a mystery as to why Rodgers hasn’t tried to replace him sooner. The 27-year-old did improve at the World Cup, but that was only in three games and two of them were against Tunisia and Panama. As he is also in the final year of his contract, it would make no sense to keep hold of him unless a new deal is in the pipeline. Hartson says that £10million would be a “pretty good” deal for the Hoops, when in actual fact it would be an incredible deal for them to cash in on an over-rated defender for more than what their current record spend is.