The Al-Qadsiah boss is a massive admirer of the Parkhead skipper and wants him in the Saudi Pro League
10:11, 20 Dec 2025
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Celtic's Callum McGregor looks dejected at full time
Celtic captain Callum McGregor could "be pushing" for a reunion with Brendan Rodgers in Saudi Arabia with if a mega money offer is on the table. And the legendary skipper isn't the last Parkhead raid the Al-Qadsiah boss is planning.
Reports suggest that the Irishman wants his new club to launch an ambitious bid to sign captain McGregor and make him one of his first signings. It would be the second time he'd tried to lure the 32-year-old away having made efforts to sign him for Leicester City in 2019.
Celtic will to fight to keep McGregor even if a money-spinning offer from the Middle East does come his way. The skipper has two-and-a-half years to run on his contract and is unlikely to be in a rush for leave.
But former Rangers hero Billy Dodds reckons that the big money that could be put on the table could tempt the key midfielder. He told the Go Radio Football Show: "Celtic fans must be having kittens, because they are self-destructing in front of the fans very eyes. There was talk of (Daizen) Maeda (leaving), then the manager goes and they pick this manager and it's not quite working out.
"Imagine Brendan Rodgers came back to take Callum McGregor - that is the story, it could be true - and for Celtic fans that would be the end of them I think. There is a time for Callum McGregor to go, and it ain't the January transfer window. Can you imagine?"
Pressed on why McGregor wouldn't want to go from "his point of view": "Well, OK, from his point of view he might be pushing. But, I think the way he is as a person - if he has anything about him he will try to get the season out of the road and try to win the title and then maybe go. But January, imagine he walks then?"
Former Rangers and Kilmarnock winger Chris Burke admitted: "The lure might be too much, you know what it's like with the money. It's hard to reject that. It's just where his ambitions are."
It comes after Rodgers pledged to improve the quality of the squad in the Saudi Pro League at his first press conference with a big-spending January window on the cards for the former Hoops' gaffer.
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He said: "I think there are some really exciting talents and players within the squad. However, we know to make the next steps there are some gaps in the squad that we want to improve on."
While McGregor could come in, reports are escalating that Mo Salah could leave Liverpool for Qadsiah. Reports in England claim that a deal is now "more likely" for the Egyptian international after Rodgers was appointed.
The Daily Mail report that several Saudi clubs are "lurking" with the January window approaching as the winger remains "agitated and frustrated” after his public fallout with Arne Slot. However, with the forward now at the AFCON a "gentleman's agreement" could see Salah leave in the summer window rather than in January.