CELTIC have been told midfielder Elvis Rexhbecaj has no plans to quit Augsburg any time soon.
The Hoops have returned to the Bundesliga club where they paid a club record £11million for Arne Engels on the August deadline day as they kick-start their rebuilding plans early for next season.
With a Champions League qualifier due for July, Brendan Rodgers is looking to assemble his strongest squad available to meet the challenges of Europe’s elite competition.
Kosovo international Rexhbecaj is on their radar, but the player is also interesting Italy’s Parma and Turkey’s Besiktas.
ON THE BALL…in-demand Elvis Rexhbecaj is happy at Augsburg,
The 27-year-old middle-of-the-park performer is under contract at the German club until the summer of 2026 and has stressed he is in no rush to go anywhere.
Asked about the possibility of a transfer, Rexhbecaj said: “I am very happy at Augsburg and the move has paid off in every way.
“I have been a part of the team whenever I have been fit and I do everything I can to contribute.
“From a personal point of view, I have remained true to myself and continue to grow.
“This is helped by the fact that I feel at home here. I have the feeling that I am here for the long term.”
The defensive midfielder joined Augsburg from Wolfsburg in 2022 and, speaking to local media in Kosovo, continued: “We are definitely having a very good period and have created some distance between ourselves and the bottom of the table.
POINT TO PROVE…Arne Engels, Celtic’s £11million recruit from Augsburg.
“However, we have to keep our feet on the ground. Things can change at any moment in the Bundesliga, so we cannot allow ourselves to lose focus.
“We have to stay focused and not get hung up on the table, but take each game as it comes and continue to build on what we have done.
“I want to continue to do everything I can to help us achieve success and continue to progress as a team.”
Rexhbecaj, who has also had loan spells at FC Cologne and Vfl Bochum, has won seven international caps with Kosovo and was involved in their UEFA Nations League games against Iceland where they won 2-0 at home and 3-1 away for an aggregate 5-2 success.
The win earned the country promotion to League B – where they could face Scotland at some stage.
