CELTIC TO LAUNCH £5M RINK BID

The German international has been in and out of the side at the Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion this season, being displaced by young Bulgarian Dmitar Berbatov.

However, manager Berti Vogts sees the 20-year-old as an eventual replacement for Ulf Kirsten, meaning that Rink, found warming the bench recently, may find himself left totally out in the cold.

He still has one-and-a-half years left on his contract at Leverkusen, but Celtic are preparing a £5 million move to take him to Parkhead, after an earlier link with Real Zaragoza failed to see a move materialise.

Manager Martin O'Neill has continually looked to strengthen his squad, despite their lofty League position, and was recently linked with Stan Collymore and John Hartson.

Mark Burchill and Eyal Berkovic are expected to leave the club, meaning that Henrik Larsson and Chris Sutton are the only remaining senior out-and-out strikers, although Didier Agathe can move inside from right wing.

Real Mallorca and Udinese have also been linked, but O'Neill is believed to be leading the chase.

Despite the Brazilian-born forward stating that he wants to stay and fight for his place, the opportunity to compete for titles in Scotland could persuade him to follow the likes of Jorg Albertz and Dirk Lehmann into the SPL.