FRENCH midfield ace Olivier Ntcham has agreed a new four-year deal at Celtic.
The Under-21 international, who joined from Manchester City in a £4.5million switch last summer, was linked with Porto in August with the Portuguese giants reported to be ready to pay £15million.
However, Ntcham has now killed off speculation of a renewed bid in January by signing for the champions until at least the summer of 2022.
The 22-year-old anchorman said: “I’m delighted to extend my contract. It’s good news and I hope we’re going to win more trophies. It’s a great side and I’m glad to be part of the project.
“Having a strong bond with the players is very important for the team and for the club. I feel good here and I hope we’re going to win more trophies and that we can be even more successful this year than last year.
“I want to improve on everything in respect of the game. Scoring more goals is, of course, part of the game and is important for me, as well.”
Ntcham has made 68 appearances for the Hoops while netting 14 goals, including his superb long-range effort that bamboozled keeper Trevor Carson in the 2-0 win over Motherwell in the Scottish Cup Final in May.
The victory over the Fir Park outfit sealed Brendan Rodgers’ side’s historic achievement of a double treble and the player now has his eyes on emulating that feat while making progress in Europe.
He limped off at half-time in the Betfred League Cup semi-final against Hearts at Murrayfield almost a fortnight ago to be replaced by Ryan Christie who sparked a 3-0 second-half performance.
With Ntcham still injured, the Highlander, who is also poised to sign a new deal, also starred in the 5-0 victory over Dundee last midweek, the 5-0 Premiership success over Craig Levein’s outfit on Saturday and, of course, last night’s 2-1 Europa League Group B win over RB Leipzig.
The powerhouse performer watched from the stand, but is obviously ready for the fight to get a nod in Rodgers’ midline.
