Celtic are set to face a bid for one of their stars before the end of the summer transfer window and it would be a major mistake if they were to entertain any advances...

What's the word?

According to Football Insider, Premier League outfit West Bromwich Albion are pursuing the signature of Hoops midfielder Olivier Ntcham with Slaven Bilic keen to bolster his options after a slow start to the season.

They claim that the Scottish champions value the Frenchman at around £12m, triple the amount they paid for him in 2017.

It remains to be seen if Celtic would be open to a sale, though the 24-year-old is a wanted man across Europe. He has two years left on his current contract at Parkhead.

Transfer disaster

This would be an awfully silly decision to make from head of football Nick Hammond as well as manager Neil Lennon if they sanction this exit.

Ntcham has played nine times already this season, starting five times across the SPFL and Champions League qualifying and has provided two assists, per Transfermarkt.

Lennon has already hinted at the fact that his 35-year-old skipper Scott Brown isn't going to be able to play week-in, week-out at this level, especially with a potential venture into the Europa League - that quest starts on Thursday.

That means strength in depth will be needed, which is where Ntcham comes in and perhaps eventually, he could be the man to replace the Scottish veteran in the future.

Ex-Bhoys boss Brendan Rodgers once hailed the midfielder as a "terrific talent" whilst Lennon himself knows of his qualities, he said: "Ntcham is an excellent player and it’s really up to him to keep that consistency. He’s a great trainer and already he’s made a significant start to the season. When he is in the mood, he’s fantastic. If we can just get that consistent level from him, we’ll have one hell of a player on our hands – as we already do."

It just seems like a mistake to give up on a player that has already played 132 times for the club at such a young age.

In a summer or two, Hammond will be staring down the barrel at finding a suitable Brown successor when they may have had one lie in wait all along.

AND in other news, Celtic should reignite interest in "big, big talent" likened to Raheem Sterling...