By support

12th Dec, 2017 | 12:03pm

Manager confirms major update about future of reported Celtic No 1 January target

RB Leipzig manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has confirmed that he will not allow Celtic target Marvin Compper to leave the club in January.

The Daily Record has claimed that Brendan Rodgers has made Compper, 32, his number one target for the January transfer window.

However now, Leipzig boss Henshuttl has made it clear that the one-time Germany international will not be leaving next month, neither will any of his team-mates.

“I don’t want to get rid of any player in January. It’s a squad game and we need them all, especially as we have had a lot of injuries recently,” he said, as quoted by the Record.

“Also, Marvin has never come to me and said he’s unhappy or put in a transfer request.

“So he will be here until the summer at least.”

Hoops manager  Rodgers has long been on the lookout for central defenders, with a move for South African Rivaldo Coetzee collapsing in August when the player failed a medical.

The Celtic boss has been forced to play the likes of Nir Bitton as an emergency centre-back on occasion due to injuries suffered by Jozo Simunovic and Dedryck Boyata.

Football Insider verdict

If this is true then it’s another defensive disappointment for Brendan Rodgers. The Celtic boss has long been frustrated in his attempts to add another centre-back to his squad. If Leipzig have no intention of selling the player, then the Bhoys will need to turn their attention to different transfer targets. Finding a player who is eligible to play against Zenit in the Europa League last 32 could also come into consideration, as although Compper was ineligible for the tie that seemingly didn’t deter Rodgers from showing an interest in the player.

In other Celtic news, Stephen Kenny feels that Celtic can get the edge over Zenit 

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