Brendan Rodgers has admitted he remains in the dark over Greg Taylor’s contract situation at Celtic, despite reports this week claiming the club has reopened talks over a new deal.

The left-back, whose current contract expires this summer, played a starring role in Celtic’s win over Kilmarnock and has continued to underline his importance to Rodgers’ side, even with Kieran Tierney’s return from Arsenal on the horizon.

Rodgers, speaking to Celtic TV ahead of this weekend’s Scottish Cup semi-final, said he’s eager to keep Taylor at the club — but conceded any progress on a new deal is now outwith his control.

 “I’ve seen a headline. Someone sent me a headline yesterday, and I was hoping it was really true and that something had happened.

“I don’t know of anything. I think I’ve said all along, he’s a player I so want to keep here. That bit of it is out of my hands now. Until then, we’ll just continue to work with him and never give up hope. There’s still a wee bit of time left until the end of the season. I’ve got nothing to give you concrete on that.

“I’m just talking through my experience of being in this situation before with players. I’m hoping and I’ll hope that this is one of these that maybe can go on longer and doesn’t go the other way, because normally in this situation, it feels that way.”

Taylor has turned down offers to extend his stay in recent months, but Rodgers is still hoping for a positive outcome, even if experience tells him such situations often go the other way.

Hopefully, Greg Taylor does decide to extend his stay at Celtic. The club needs two top-quality players for every position, especially with the increase in matches players are playing now.

Kieran Tierney doesn’t have the best injury record of late, so having a more than capable deputy, who will get their fair share of minutes, is a great thing for Celtic.

Time is running out for Greg Taylor and Celtic, with the hope for more updates to emerge soon.