Neil Lennon has told Celtic that reaching the Champions League group stage is the key to keeping hold of Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk.
Lennon took Van Dijk to Celtic from FC Groningen during his time in charge at Celtic Park, swooping to snap up the centre-back in the summer of 2013.
Van Dijk has been strongly linked with leaving Celtic in recent months, earning interest from clubs such as Arsenal and Sunderland.
But Lennon feels if Celtic can plot a route through the Champions League qualifiers and into the group stage then the 23-year-old will remain in Glasgow.
Speaking on Sky Sports and being asked if Van Dijk will leave, Lennon said: "I hope not. He's a real quality player. He'll be sought after, but I think he's happy here, he's enjoying his football and he's forged his reputation here.
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"I think there will be suitors out there, but the big lure for players coming to Celtic is Champions League, so it's imperative that they can get through those qualifiers and that would be enough I think to keep Virgil here.
"I wouldn't expect him to leave before those qualifiers", the current Bolton Wanderers manager added.
Celtic beat Inverness 5-0 today at Paradise, setting the scene for the presentation of the Premiership trophy which took place after the match. Bhoys manager Ronny Deila has led the club to the League Cup and the Premiership title in his first season in charge, having succeeded Lennon last summer.
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