Jeffrey Schlupp has quickly established himself as a key player at Celtic since arriving on loan from Crystal Palace in January.
Trusted to start in the Champions League knockout tie against Bayern Munich, the versatile left-sided player has impressed with his physicality, work rate, and composure.
With Schlupp’s contract at Crystal Palace expiring this summer, speculation has begun over whether Celtic will move to sign him permanently on a free transfer. Brendan Rodgers, however, insists that discussions over Schlupp’s future will take place later in the season.
“I’ll have a chat with Jeffrey towards the latter part of the season,” Rodgers told Celtic TV.
“It was the case of him coming in and settling and getting to understand how we play. I think we can all see he has that Premier League physicality and quality.
“He’s a guy that’s a top professional. That’s why he’s been in over a decade in the Premier League, because you have to look after yourself.
“You’ve got to have the right qualities, not only as a player, as a person.
“So, we knew what we were bringing in.
“I’m really happy for him because he’s settled into the group really well now. And now he has a feel for how he plays and what the role is. It gives us two really strong players to finish the season in that position.”
Schlupp’s arrival coincided with uncertainty over Greg Taylor’s future, as the left-back is yet to sign a new contract. Meanwhile, Celtic have already secured the return of Kieran Tierney on a pre-contract agreement for next season.
With Tierney arriving in the summer, the decision on Schlupp’s future will depend on how the remainder of the campaign unfolds, but his performances so far have certainly made a strong case for Celtic to make a move, but his wages could be an issue.
Celtic are playing half of his £60,000 per week wages, at the moment, but there could be some space for negotiations.
Brendan Rodgers is a fan of the player, and did try to get him at Celtic last summer, before he completed the deadline day move in January.
