Celtic captain Scott Brown has confirmed that “a lot of people will be leaving” the club at the end of the season.
The Hoops can finish their season by winning the treble treble with victory over Hearts in the Scottish Cup final on Saturday, having defeated their Premiership rivals 2-1 in league action on Sunday.
Speaking to the Daily Record, Brown confirmed that Parkhead will be a hive of activity in the summer.
“There will be a clear-out at the end of the season and a lot of people will be leaving and there will be a lot of new faces coming in as well,” the 33-year-old said.
“There’s a lot of lads who have been here a long time that love being here and have won a lot of trophies and I think that’s what makes this club special.
“The lads have a lot of love and passion for the club and for the fans as well.”
OPINION
There is no doubt about this; there are going to be a lot of departures at Celtic this summer. There has already been one confirmed – that of centre-back Dedryck Boyata, who Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin announced as their first signing of the summer transfer window on Sunday afternoon. But plenty more are expected to follow before the new season begins. Some Celtic players’ contracts are expiring this summer – including Mikael Lustig, Emilio Izaguirre, Dorus de Vries and Cristian Gamboa – and these are unlikely to be offered extensions to their Parkhead stays. What’s more, there are some players Celtic signed on loan who are soon due back at their parent clubs, the likes of Oliver Burke and Jeremy Toljan. The good thing for Celtic is that it will free up a lot of money on the wage bill and give Celtic vital transfer funds to go and sign new players this summer.