Neil Lennon will ask the Celtic board to do everything in its power to secure cup final hero Fraser Forster on a permanent deal from Southampton.
The on-loan keeper produced a wonder show to win Celtic the Betfred Cup at Hampden on Sunday and Lennon called for Forster to earn an England recall as he continued to harbour hopes he can land the keeper for longer than the end of the season.
A major stumbling block is Forster’s wages – reported to be £70,000 a week – but the Hoops boss wants Parkhead powerbrokers to explore the possibility of signing the No.1, who has been a huge success in his second stint at the club.
Lennon said: “It’s about affordability. That’s something we can talk about. I’ll talk to the player but first we have to make the call to Southampton and I’ll need to speak to Peter (Lawwell) about that.
“Is it beyond us? I don’t know. Would I love to do it? Of course, but we have to be realistic at times and we can’t go overboard either.
"We have to be prudent but we have him right now and it’s fantastic because he’s definitely made us better.
“He’s not our player obviously and that’s a discussion we’d need to have with Southampton.
“He’s better now than he was before and I certainly think Gareth Southgate should have a look at him. He’s been unbelievable. He’s more mature.
“He just wasn’t getting beat yesterday. Just not getting beat. He was absolutely remarkable and to do that in the context of a final, speaks volumes for his talent.
“So, yes, I think he should be looked at regarding England and yes, we have to see on the other question.”
