CELTIC face the unhappy prospect of having to hand Thomas Gravesen another £2m after the misfit Dane decided he'll return to Parkhead this summer to see out the final year of his contract.
The 32-year-old midfielder has been on loan former club Everton after his £2m move to Celtic from Real Madrid proved to be a disaster.
But Goodison boss Davie Moyes has used Gravesen even more sparingly than Hoops boss Gordon Strachan.
And his agent, John Sivebaek, has confirmed Gravesen will be back at the end of May.
Unless Celtic can negotiate a pay-off, they will be obliged to pay Gravesen £40,000-a-week under the terms of the lucrative contract he signed in 2006.
With Bobo Balde also collecting another £1.5m while he sees out the final season of the contract the 32-year-old defender was handed in January 2005, Celtic stand to fork out £3.5m for the prospect of very little return.
Both players will then be free to walk away and sign for clubs without any fee coming Celtic's way.
Removing them from the wage bill would save the club massively, and if any other clubs approached them in the meantime it is unlikely Celtic would be difficult to deal with.
However, both Gravesen and Balde have made it clear they are prepared to sit tight so they can collect every penny they are entitled to from Celtic.
Sivebaek had hoped that a return to Everton would kick start Gravesen's career. But it has not worked out at the club where he first rose to prominence.
The agent said: "Thomas will see out the rest of his loan contract with Everton.
"But if nothing changes there, he will be back at Celtic in the summer. He has a year left of his deal there and he will be professional and return to the club to fulfil his contract.
"It hasn't worked out for him yet at Celtic. But, deep down, I know he still dreams of making it there. That is all he has ever wanted.
"It's his ambition to walk away from Celtic having made an impact.
"We haven't had any discussions with Gordon Strachan on this since Thomas left for Everton.
"But Thomas is committed to making it work in England before going back to Scotland in the summer.
"He hasn't been injured recently, he just hasn't been picked for Everton. But the team has been playing so well Thomas has found it hard to get into the side."
Chris Killen is another player who has struggled to make an impact at Celtic since his Bosman signing last summer.
But the Kiwi striker has no plans to try and cut short his stay. His agent, Stephen Hughes, confirmed: "I'm sure Celtic might assess things in the summer. But it won't be Chris's wish to leave the club."
The 32-year-old midfielder has been on loan former club Everton after his £2m move to Celtic from Real Madrid proved to be a disaster.
But Goodison boss Davie Moyes has used Gravesen even more sparingly than Hoops boss Gordon Strachan.
And his agent, John Sivebaek, has confirmed Gravesen will be back at the end of May.
Unless Celtic can negotiate a pay-off, they will be obliged to pay Gravesen £40,000-a-week under the terms of the lucrative contract he signed in 2006.
With Bobo Balde also collecting another £1.5m while he sees out the final season of the contract the 32-year-old defender was handed in January 2005, Celtic stand to fork out £3.5m for the prospect of very little return.
Both players will then be free to walk away and sign for clubs without any fee coming Celtic's way.
Removing them from the wage bill would save the club massively, and if any other clubs approached them in the meantime it is unlikely Celtic would be difficult to deal with.
However, both Gravesen and Balde have made it clear they are prepared to sit tight so they can collect every penny they are entitled to from Celtic.
Sivebaek had hoped that a return to Everton would kick start Gravesen's career. But it has not worked out at the club where he first rose to prominence.
The agent said: "Thomas will see out the rest of his loan contract with Everton.
"But if nothing changes there, he will be back at Celtic in the summer. He has a year left of his deal there and he will be professional and return to the club to fulfil his contract.
"It hasn't worked out for him yet at Celtic. But, deep down, I know he still dreams of making it there. That is all he has ever wanted.
"It's his ambition to walk away from Celtic having made an impact.
"We haven't had any discussions with Gordon Strachan on this since Thomas left for Everton.
"But Thomas is committed to making it work in England before going back to Scotland in the summer.
"He hasn't been injured recently, he just hasn't been picked for Everton. But the team has been playing so well Thomas has found it hard to get into the side."
Chris Killen is another player who has struggled to make an impact at Celtic since his Bosman signing last summer.
But the Kiwi striker has no plans to try and cut short his stay. His agent, Stephen Hughes, confirmed: "I'm sure Celtic might assess things in the summer. But it won't be Chris's wish to leave the club."
