‘Brendan Rodgers could quit Celtic to complete Premier League club move’
Brendan Rodgers could quit Celtic this summer if he is offered the opportunity to return to the Premier League amid growing frustrations.
That is according to former Man United and Blackburn chief scout Mick Brown, who remains very well-connected within the game, as he exclusively told Football Insider that the boss will likely hold talks with the board at the end of the season.
Rodgers has grown concerned about the club’s ambitions after they failed to strengthen adequately during the January window, and expects to be backed this summer.
However, if his desires to become competitive in Europe on top of their dominance in Scotland are not supported by the board, he could explore a new opportunity.
This comes after Football Insider exclusively revealed on 31 March that Celtic are set to hold talks with Rodgers in the off-season to discuss his future.
The 52-year-old previously left Celtic Park in 2019, having won three consecutive Scottish Premiership titles, to take the job with Leicester City in the Premier League.
Brendan Rodgers eyes Celtic exit after Champions League claim
During the January transfer window, Celtic failed to adequately replace Kyogo Furuhashi after his shock exit, and concerns have risen ahead of the summer.
Brown, who worked closely with elite managers throughout his career including the likes of Ron Atkinson and Sir Alex Ferguson during Man United’s most successful period, explained that Rodgers would be interested in a return to the Premier League.
“If Rodgers was offered a Premier League job, he would take it,” he told Football Insider.
“He’d be interested in coming back to England and I think he’s not entirely happy at Celtic.
“At the moment, Celtic are dominant in Scotland, there’s nobody challenging them.
“They’ve got to build on what they’ve got in the transfer window, they’re ruling the roost and they want to keep it that way.
“But Rodgers wants more than that – he’s thinking about European football.
“Being dominant in Scotland is fine, but if they could strengthen enough to be competitive in Europe, then he would be happy to stay.
“It depends on whether the board are prepared to match those ambitions, because if they’re content with where they are now, it wouldn’t surprise me to see him walk away.
“So they’ll sit down in the summer and he’ll ask the question about how far they’re prepared to go.
“He wasn’t backed as much as he would have liked in January, and if the same is the case in the summer, nothing would surprise me.”
Callum McGregor replacement lined up at Parkhead
Amid speculation about Rodgers’ long-term future at the club, Celtic are putting plans in place ahead of the summer transfer window.
Football Insider revealed on 31 March that Celtic want to sign Augsburg midfielder Elvis Rexhbecaj as an ideal successor to Callum McGregor.
The Kosovo international is out of contract in 2026 and could be available this summer as the Hoops plan to steal a march on their rivals for his signature.
Celtic are planning to strengthen in central midfield as McGregor is set to turn 32 in June, with a more long-term strategy in mind at Parkhead.
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