Celtic manager Neil Lennon has confirmed that the club were interested in signing Tottenham midfielder Victor Wanyama in the summer.

The former Celtic player is reportedly deemed surplus to requirements at Spurs and was available but Lennon says the Hoops did not have the finances to complete the deal, and a January bid would depend on whether they can lower the Premier League club’s demands:

“There was interest but it never got off the ground. Could we look at it again in January? We’ll have to wait and see. We might not want to with the balance of the squad now, as well as the affordability.”

As Lennon also mentions, Celtic already have a number of central midfield players in the squad. Callum McGregor, Scott Brown, Olivier Ntcham and Nir Bitton can all play in the middle of the pitch.

However, with Bitton’s switch to a centre-back role this season, it could leave an opening for another midfielder. A loan deal would probably be the likeliest outcome for Wanyama with the 28-year-old still having 21 months left on his current deal at Tottenham.

Next summer could well be the best time to secure a permanent move for the player with the midfielder heading into the final year of his contract.