Martin O'Neill to be powerless in Benjamin Nygren situation after Celtic transfer reveal
Martin O'Neill will not be able to stop Benjamin Nygren leaving Celtic this summer after he hinted at a move away while on international duty.
Nygren was key to Celtic's Premiership glory in his debut season at the club following a bargain £1.3million move from Nordsjaelland.
The Swedish playmaker won plaudits throughout the campaign and ended it on 21 goals and nine assists in 58 appearances for the Hoops.
Such fine form saw him win a clean sweep of in-house awards last month, while several high-profile suitors are reportedly lining up moves for his services this summer.
Nygren has stayed tight-lipped over his future while at Celtic, but his new comments from Swedish media point to only one outcome that O'Neill will not be able to stop.
What has Nygren said about leaving Celtic this summer?
O'Neill was widely expected to move on at the end of the campaign, but new reports have claimed that he is set to sign a one-year deal as Celtic's new permanent boss this week.
He has not hidden his admiration for Nygren over the last few months, admitting in March that he was constantly doing "the most difficult thing" in football, which was scoring key goals at the right moments for his club.
Despite an obvious desire to retain his services, O'Neill has no chance of stopping the 24-year-old from leaving Parkhead this summer.
He was asked directly about his future after Sweden’s final World Cup warm‑up match against Greece on Thursday, to which he said: “We’ll see what happens.”
Nygren was unable to deny that he will leave Celtic because he clearly wants to and has his heart set on playing at a higher level, and it will be impossible to change his mind now that Premier League sides are eyeing a move.
Which teams are interested in Nygren?
Nygren has all the attributes to play at a high level, while his impressive versatility will also appeal to interested sides this summer.
Sources have exclusively revealed to Football Insider that Valencia are interested in Nygren as it stands, and the chance to play in La Liga would surely be one too good to turn down.
That is if Premier League sides do not advance with moves, with Nottingham Forest being linked to his signature in recent months.
Celtic will no doubt want to wait until after the World Cup to sell Nygren, with some strong showings in North America potentially set to add to his price tag.