Former Scotland defender Alan Hutton has suggested that Celtic may already have opened new contract talks with midfielder Tom Rogic, as per Football Insider.
The lowdown: Deal talks on hold
This comes after Hoops boss Ange Postecoglou told reporters back in February that a new deal for Rogic was the 'last thing' on his mind as the pursuit for the Scottish Premiership title went on.
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Fast approaching the final year of a deal at Parkhead, the club are in danger of losing the 29-year-old on a free next summer or needing to cash in during the upcoming transfer window.
However, Hutton believes that Postecoglou may already have a successor lined up for his compatriot in David Turnbull, while also claiming there are likely ongoing negotiations 'in the background'.
The latest: Lesson learned?
Speaking to FI, the BBC 5 Live pundit claimed that Celtic would be best served to keep Rogic in the long term, hinting at discussions behind the scenes.
“You’d hope Celtic have learned their lesson. You don’t really want any of your kind of top assets to be walking away for next to nothing or running down contracts.
“He’s been a good servant and I think he’s come back into form since the new manager’s come in. He obviously trusts him.
“You’ve also got other players within the squad to come back, the likes of Turnbull and these sort of guys. They’re in a good place right now but again, moving forward, you never want to lose a top player.
“It wouldn’t surprise me if there were talks going on in the background to try and tie him down to a longer deal. I’m kind of interested to see where it goes and what Celtic’s thinking is.
“Do they stick with the likes of Rogic? Or do they have somebody else in mind to really transform that midfield? It’ll be interesting to see how it plays out. Ultimately, I still think you need someone like that in your squad.”
The verdict: Too good to go
Whilst there can be little doubting Turnbull's long term future as a Celtic mainstay in attacking midfield, Rogic has matched the output of the 22-year-old so far this season.
When using Transfermarkt to compare the two, the Australian has also provided 16 direct goal contributions - albeit the 51-cap Australia ace has made seven more appearances across all competitions.
Losing a key player for nothing simply isn't a viable option for the club and as the Bhoys prepare for a possible jaunt into the UEFA Champions League group stages next term, where keeping the experience of the likes of Rogic will be pivotal.