CELTIC chief executive Peter Lawwell has given the clearest indication yet that Shunsuke Nakamura will not be allowed to leave in January.
The Japanese midfielder's immediate future at the club has been cast into doubt after the player admitted five weeks ago that there was "a possibility" he could leave during the next transfer window for family reasons and to cut down on travelling t
o international fixtures. This has been followed by reports claiming former club Yokohama Marinos were awaiting approval from main backers Nissan to lodge a bid for the player, believed to be around the £1m mark but in some quarters quoted as high as £5m.
But Lawwell has batted down suggestions that the club could be willing to bank a fee for the player at a critical point in the season, even if it means him moving on for no return.
"We are in the business of winning championships, not cashing in on players," Lawwell told Scotland on Sunday. "It is our intention to strengthen our squad in January as we focus on retaining the title. That means Shunsuke Nakamura still being with us."
Although Nakamura, 31 in June, has stated the time may have come to return to his homeland and that he wants to do so while still in good physical condition, he has always added the caveat that he will only leave "when Peter says he no longer needs me". Lawwell, and Celtic manager Gordon Strachan – who has described the player as "the best I have ever worked with" – have both now made plain that time will not arrive this season. A fee of £1m would not been tempting since in each of the past two January transfer windows precisely that sum has been laid out to sign midfielders Paul Hartley and Barry Robson.
With Nakamura providing a reminder of his game-changing free-kick prowess in midweek in the Co-operative Insurance Cup victory over Kilmarnock – his 13th dead-ball goal for Celtic – his worth to the club in the second half of the season appears to be rated higher than the price placed on him by suitors Yokohama Marinos.
