FC Basle have denied reports that their influential Swiss playmaker Hakan Yakin is set to hold talks with Celtic over a possible move to Parkhead.
The player's agent Ertan Irizik had previously insisted that a switch to Scotland was on the cards and claimed; "When the Celtic manager returns from his holiday, then we will speak with him......we are ready to come to Glasgow."
However, Basle's director of communications Josef Ziendel has denied that their prize asset is going anywhere and insisted; "The rumours linking him with Celtic are untrue. We expect him to join us for pre-season training on Monday and be a Basle player next season."
Yakin is also a long-term target of Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier after he shone for Basle when they met the Reds in last season's Champions League, and the latest comments from Ziendel may just be an attempt to spark off a bidding war between Liverpool and Celtic.
Filed by Rob Wright
