Belgium defender Dedryck Boyata came close to leaving Celtic this summer but the Scottish champions managed to keep hold of him.
The 28-year-old is out of contract at the end of the 2018/19 season, and Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers has admitted that the centre-back could leave the club.
Boyata wanted to leave the Glasgow giants in the summer transfer window after producing some fine performances for Belgium during the World Cup.
He was agitating a move away from the club. However, Celtic stood firm in their decision. They refused to sell him despite receiving a £9 million bid from Fulham.
“Dedryck will leave at some point. You look at him now and you see he is really defined now as a player who has gained great confidence the last two years, the last 18 months in particular,” Rodgers told the Daily Record.
“Going to the World Cup, he has proven there at a good level that he can play with world class players.
“He is entering into his years at 28 where he can show it. I have always said when he is concentrated that he is a top class player.”
Boyata has been in good form since August and Rodgers has lauded his recent performances. The former Liverpool boss said that Boyata is a top class player but is still likely to leave in the near future.
Boyata is out of contract at the end of the season, and chances are very high that he won’t be signing a new deal at the club.
His agent Jacques Lichtenstein claimed that the centre-back will sign a pre-contract agreement with another club during the January transfer window.
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