Daizen Maeda is crucial to Celtic.
The Japanese star netted 31 goals for the Hoops across all competitions last season and won the club’s Player of the Year award.
That’s why Chris Sutton thinks Celtic can’t even accept a bid of £75m for Maeda between now and the end of the transfer window.
Maeda has been linked with an exit this summer, but Celtic would be due a hefty fee given his contract expires in 2027.
Sutton on what Rodgers said about Maeda’s contract
Brendan Rodgers was quizzed on Maeda’s contract and whether there are discussions in the background about extending his deal.
The Celtic boss made it clear there have been talks, and he thinks Maeda will be at Celtic beyond the September 1 deadline.
But Sutton thinks Rodgers did not sound entirely convinced by that.
Writing in his Daily Record column, Sutton said: “He’s also the most important player in the squad right now so he needs to stay. If there are options in 12 months then so be it, that could be the time to deal. But not now.
“Celtic are already gambling with the Champions League with their failure to land attacking targets in this window.
Maeda going and they’d be folding altogether. And at some stage you have to say enough is enough. Rodgers has watched top talents head out of the door and his squad has got weaker.
“The manager batted away the Maeda question at his press conference before the Falkirk game but saying he was as confident as he could be that he’d still be at the club beyond the window wasn’t exactly emphatic.
“Rodgers is having to tread carefully right now but he must be seriously hacked off at the moment.”
What did Rodgers actually say about Maeda?
Ahead of facing Falkirk on Friday evening, Rodgers shared that he has no further update on Maeda’s future bar ‘background discussions’ about potentially extending his Parkhead stay.
There have been discussions going on in the background. I don’t have any updates on it. I don’t know of any developments.”
When asked how confident he is that Maeda would remain a Celtic player beyond the summer window, Rodgers replied: “Yeah, yeah, yeah, fairly confident of that, as can be.
