Friday 22 January 2016 10:38, UK
Celtic manager Ronny Deila has said Stefan Johansen will not be moving to Aston Villa, insisting the midfielder remains part of his long-term plans.
The Premier league strugglers have been linked with a £5m bid in the Scottish press for a player who has 18 months remaining on his contract and is also being tracked by a number of German clubs.
Johansen moved to Parkhead for £2m two years ago, quickly winning over the fans with his midfield endeavour and technique in his first 18 months. However, despite his struggles to match those standards this season, Deila is adamant he will not be leaving the club.
He said: "We want to keep every player here. Stefan Johansen is staying here and we want to keep him, of course."
Celtic have yet to make a decision on whether to sign Ljuban Crepulja, a 22-year-old Croatian midfielder who is at the club's Lennoxtown training complex.
"He's a player we've watched a little bit, but we want to see more of. Now he's training with us and we'll see during the week if we want to do anything further," Deila said.
The manager also confirmed new signing Erik Sviatchenko will have to wait for his debut as the defender will not be ready to face St Johnstone this weekend.
He said: "It's too early for him and he needs some training sessions with the team before he's ready for his debut. He'll be at Saturday's game but he won't be available to play."
