Southampton reignite Wanyama interest

Southampton have returned to Celtic with a new bid for midfielder Victor Wanyama, the Scottish club’s manager Neil Lennon has revealed.

The Premier League side have been strongly linked with a move for the Kenyan for much of the off-season, but a deal looked to be dead when personal terms could not be agreed.

However, Mauricio Pochettino looks keen to bolster his squad, with only Dejan Lovren brought in ahead of next season so far.

Speaking after Celtic’s 2-1 defeat to Cluj on Saturday, Lennon admitted that the renewed interest had resulted in Wanyama’s mentality being slightly thrown.

He said: “I had a chat with Victor and he’s a wee bit confused but what we gather is that Southampton have re-ignited their interest.

“They’ve shown an interest again and the bid is there. It’s all about the negotiations between Saints and the agent now. I’d imagine that might get the ball rolling again.

“I’ve only seen Victor for a couple of days but he trained with the rest of the squad who didn’t play against Cluj. If nothing materialises, he’ll play some of the game on Tuesday against Greuther Furth.”

Another player who has been linked with a move from Celtic Park is Gary Hooper.

Hull City have been most closely linked with a deal for the striker, but Lennon insists the fact that his top goalscorer has just one year left on his contract will not result in him being sold cheaply.

The Ulsterman added: “I don’t think the value of a player of his ilk drops just because he has a year left.

“He is worth a lot of money to us. He has scored 60 goals in two seasons so I would be expecting a big bid for him.”