Celtic would find it 'very difficult to reject' a 'mind-boggling' £15m offer for winger Liel Abada, former Scotland manager Alex McLeish has told Football Insider.

The lowdown

The publication reported earlier this week that Celtic sources are confident that the Israeli gem will be worth at least £15m by 2023. They have apparently been 'thrilled' by his development at Parkhead and expect it to continue apace under Ange Postecoglou.

The Hoops paid around £3.5m to sign Abada from Israeli outit Maccabi Petah Tikva just last year, committing him to a five-year contract.

The latest

Speaking to Football Insider, McLeish expressed scepticism as to whether Abada is really worth 'that kind of money', but if someone is willing to offer it, he finds it hard to see how Celtic will say 'no'.

The 63-year-old said: “I probably haven’t seen enough of him to put that valuation on him. But you would think that the big clubs, the clubs who have that kind of money, won’t want to waste it.

“Abada, if he is at that kind of level, these prices are mind-boggling, through the roof. It is very difficult to reject those offers if they come in.

“Is he there yet? I’m not sure. There is no doubting he has started this season very well, Celtic have as a club. He is still young so there is so much room to grow there.

“I think it’s one to keep an eye on.”

The verdict

Abada has registered 33 direct goal involvements in his first 65 matches for Celtic (21 goals, 12 assists), a very strong conversion rate. It's also worth stressing that he's only 20 years old, so he should only get better and better in the coming years.

Should Abada leave for £15m, he would become the third-most expensive sale in Celtic's history, slotting in behind Kieran Tierney (£24.3m) and Moussa Dembele (£19.8m) and just ahead of Odsonne Edouard (£14.67m).

That certainly seems to be the path that Lennoxtown insiders expect him to follow, judging by these reports.