Celtic could be set to lose Ryan Christie for nothing with the Scotland hero free to sign a pre-contract in the summer.
The 26-year-old penned a Parkhead extension in November 2018 but the deal only runs until January of next year, reports The Mail on Sunday.
And that means Christie, who attracted interest from French side Nice last year, is now approaching the crucial final six months of his contract and could even use Euro 2020 as a shop window opportunity.
Shortly after his play-off heroics where he scored against Serbia in Belgrade late last year to help Scotland reach their first major finals in 23 years, former Celtic boss Neil Lennon admitted Christie was keen on a fresh challenge.
Lennon said: “Ryan has said he would like a different challenge at some stage in his career. Talks are ongoing between the club and his representatives.”
But, five months on, there has been no progress and the situation is unlikely to be helped by the fact Celtic don’t currently have a permanent manager in place.
Christie is one of a number of players whose long term futures are in doubt along with the likes of Odsonne Edouard and Kris Ajer as the club prepare to usher in a new era.
The playmaker was a £500,000 signing from hometown club Inverness Caley Thistle, who he helped to historic Scottish Cup success six years ago, and has played his part in success.
He had loan spells back at Inverness and Aberdeen in his early days but his Parkhead career was transformed when he came on as a substitute in the Betfred Cup semi-final win over Hearts at Murrayfield in October 2018 and then scored the winner against the Dons in the final.
Christie has made more than 50 appearances this season for club and country, netting 13 goals, and would likely be seen as a valuable player for any incoming manager but he is reportedly keen on a fresh challenge.
