Premier League side Fulham are ready to move for Celtic star Dedryck Boyata again in January, according to the Daily Mail.
The newspaper report that the Cottagers retain an interest in the 27-year-old centre-back after Claudio Ranieri took over from Slavisa Jokanovic as boss, with the club previously seeing a £9million summer bid fall short.
The Mail claim that Fulham will likely look to snap Boyata up for a lower fee in the upcoming market after Hoops boss Brendan Rodgers admitted an exit was likely for the Belgium international in the coming months.
Good move for Celtic?
No, but there is not much they can do in this situation.
The club have two choices regarding the enforcer, and neither is particularly attractive. Either they sell Boyata on for a minimal fee in January to get some return on their investment, or they keep hold of him and watch him walk away for free in the summer.
In all honesty, the second option is likely to be the one which makes most sense, with Boyata being so key to their hopes for the rest of the season.
He is probably worth more to the club staying and helping them achieve their aims then leaving, rather than walking away in the middle of the season.
This is Futbol rating: 1/10
Likely to happen?
Rodgers has already admitted that Boyata is likely to sign the contract of his life in the coming months, but it was not clear if he meant in January or the summer.
It is likely that the club would like to keep hold of him in the January window, but that is not explicitly clear as of yet.
Either outcome is a distinct possibility, and only time will tell which solution the club end up going for.
This is Futbol rating: 3/10