Celtic keep transfer pressure off Bellamy

Celtic insist they will not press the panic button as the bidding war for Craig Bellamy started yesterday.

The Newcastle striker has been a huge hit since joining the Parkhead side on loan in January and has played a crucial part in the Bank of Scotland Premier League title race, which Celtic look set to win this weekend.

The Scottish champions are desperate to hold onto the controversial player and say they are still willing to respect Bellamy’s wishes by waiting until after the Tennent’s Scottish Cup final before holding talks about his future.

However, Aston Villa kicked off the battle for his signature yesterday by claiming Newcastle had accepted an offer for the player, a claim which was later refuted by the St James’ Park side.

Bellamy is also understood to be attracting interest from other Premiership clubs as well as European sides but a Celtic spokesman told the Scottish Daily Mail: “Craig said he did not want to discuss his future until the end of the season.

“We have agreed to abide by that and after the Scottish Cup final we will be holding discussions.”