CELTIC FLOP BIDDING WAR

DIEGO LAXALT’S Celtic loan contract officially expires today.

However, the Uruguayan international left-back was aware he had no future at Parkhead long before the end of his terms at the fallen champions.

Laxalt, 28, will return to AC Milan, but will almost certainly be on his way again with a bidding war about to kick off for the defender who struggled at the Hoops.

Portuguese giants and Celtic former UEFA Cup foes Porto and Turkish aces Besiktas will both make a move for the £7million-rated full-back who is out of contract in 12 months’ time, according to local media Gianluca Di Marzio.

Milan boss Paolo Maldini is prepared to drop the price for Laxalt who answered an SOS from the Hoops after Boli Bolingoli’s inexplicable jaunt to Spain in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic restrictions. The player was banned for three games by the SFA, the club were fined £30,000 and the Scottish Government postponed two crucial Premiership matches against Aberdeen and St Mirren.

DOWN AND OUT…Boli Bolingoli’s Celtic career is almost certainly over.

The ricochet effect saw Neil Lennon’s team ill-prepared for the Champions League encounter with Ferencvaros that saw them topple out of Europe’s elite competition in August.

The bungling Belgian was swiftly moved to Turkish outfit Istanbul Basaksehir on a season-long temporary shift, but the 25-year-old defender is due back for the start of pre-season training at Lennoxtown next month. He still has two years to run on his deal after his £3million arrival from Rapid Vienna in the summer of 2019.

Laxalt blew his last chance to impress at Celtic when he had a shocker of a first-half in the 2-0 Scottish Cup loss at Ibrox in March where he was withdrawn at the interval with Greg Taylor taking his place with the holders already two goals adrift.

It will be yet another new problem for the incoming manager to solve.