Spending power at Celtic this summer will be dictated by whoever potentially leaves Parkhead.
Odsonne Edouard looks as though he’ll be heading to England but the same eventuality awaits Hoops defender Kristoffer Ajer.
Whatever way you look at it, the Bhoys’ best players look set to depart.
On the chalkboard
Celtic will also be dealt a blow by the number of players heading back to their parent clubs.
They will need to fund a replacement at right-back with Jonjoe Kenny leaving while a successor to Diego Laxalt may also be required.
That said, finding Moi Elyounoussi’s successor will be one of the hardest tasks. The Norwegian finished as Celtic’s second top scorer this season on 17 strikes in all competitions but it feels unlikely they’ll buy him back.
A fee of £5m has been touted but his form during the back end of the season was questionable. The winger scored just three goals in his last 16 Premiership outings for instance.
Who replaces him will be interesting to see. Celtic will have James Forrest fit and firing again while Ryan Christie could enter his final six months as a Hoops player on the wing.
Dangerous Dembele
Next season simply has to be the year of Karamoko Dembele; Celtic have been teasing his potential for too long now.
With Elyounoussi departing, it provides the perfect opportunity for the tricky 18-year-old to finally be given a run of consistent outings.
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Dembele has only played eight times for the Bhoys senior side but started to make more of a promising breakthrough towards the end of the season.
The teenager scored his opening first-team goal in the 4-0 win over St Johnstone and earned three consecutive outings from the bench.
It was staggering, however, that he didn’t start on the final day against Aberdeen when nothing was riding on the match.
Dembele proved in those mini cameos that he more than has what it takes to thrive at this level and that he should finally be given the opportunity to start from the off.
The way he scored his first goal proved what a threat he can be and why Celtic have to play with direct wingers, as opposed to someone like Christie who cuts inside.
The youngster raced away from the St Johnstone defence before sliding the ball home in expert fashion. It was taken like a player who’d been at the top for years; that’s how much confidence he exudes.
Described as “exceptionally good” by Ruud Gullit, Celtic need to prove there is a pathway for Dembele and their younger players.
After all, if they fail to play the teenager this season then he could well pack his bags. The prodigy has just a year remaining on his contract at Paradise and has so far been unwilling to pen new terms.
An explosive winger with quick feet, Celtic could terrify defences up and down the country next season by finally unleashing him.
They could also save a fortune in the transfer market. With Elyounoussi now moving back to Southampton, there is simply no need to spend on a replacement. Instead, they should look towards their reserves.