Two Ligue 1 clubs linked with move for Celtic midfielder

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - OCTOBER 31: A general view of Celtic Park ahead of the UEFA Champions League group B match between Celtic FC and Bayern Muenchen at Celtic Park on October 31, 2017 in Glasgow, United Kingdom. (Photo by Chris Brunskill Ltd/Getty Images)
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - OCTOBER 31: A general view of Celtic Park ahead of the UEFA Champions League group B match between Celtic FC and Bayern Muenchen at Celtic Park on October 31, 2017 in Glasgow, United Kingdom. (Photo by Chris Brunskill Ltd/Getty Images)

A number of Celtic players are expected to depart over the course of the next few months as the club face a massive overhaul in the summer.

This includes some first-team regulars like Odsonne Edouard and Kristoffer Ajer. But one player whose situation is a bit confusing at the moment is Ryan Christie. The Scottish international’s contract is set to run out in January of next year.

Thus, it would be understandable if clubs who are interested in signing him decided to wait for half a season longer and try to get him on a free transfer. But then, shelling out a small transfer fee now could mean that they win the transfer race for Christie immediately rather than risk losing him to another club in January.

As reported by The Sunday Post, he is a target for both OGC Nice and AS Monaco. And it is believed that he would be allowed to leave if it meant getting a seven-figure transfer fee over losing him for nothing a few months later. It also looks like Christie prefers a move abroad and thus the French clubs will hold plenty of appeal for him.

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Christie looks set to leave Celtic in the near future

With less than a year left on his current deal, Christie looks set to depart Parkhead sooner or later. Thus, it would make sense for the club to try and get a transfer fee for his departure rather than losing him on a free transfer in January.

That fee can be used in the squad’s rebuild over the course of the summer. Of course, Christie has been a regular member of the Hoops’ first-team for quite a while now and as a result, they will need to find a suitable replacement for him, whenever he ends up leaving eventually.

At this point of time, one can only hope that Celtic can make the best out of what is quite a difficult situation.