Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell is hopeful that the club will have enough to hold on to hot-shot striker Moussa Dembele for a while longer, in a blow to Liverpool's chances of signing the talent.
The France Under-21 international has been in red hot form since he joined Celtic from Fulham in the summer and has become the main man up front for Brendan Rodgers’ side.
Scoring 17 goals in 27 appearances, including three goals in the group stage of the Champions League, Dembele has done enough to attract the prying eyes of several top clubs, with Liverpool the latest to be linked with lining up a January transfer window swoop.
However, the Celtic chief executive is hopeful that the club have something to offer to Dembele which can convince the Frenchman to continue his journey at Paradise for a few more years.
“It is very early for him”, Lawwell said in an interview with Evening Times.
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“Hopefully we have enough here to keep him.
"When we spoke to his agent, it was to his credit that he was not looking at the short-term but rather the medium-term.”
The Celtic chief executive feels Dembele could have chosen any other big club in Europe or in England in the summer, where he would have earned more.
But Lawwell believes the chance to play regular first team football tilted the scales towards the Scottish champions.
“He could have got more money elsewhere but he wanted to work with Brendan, he wanted to be coached and he wanted to develop.
“He knew there would be a stage here and he wanted the chance to play rather than go somewhere else for money and maybe not get the same opportunities.”
