Dermot Desmond, Celtic’s manager, will not award Brendan Rodgers the lucrative Champions League trophy this summer.
According to Paul Lambert, rivals Rangers are in the process of a blockbuster takeover led by Paraag Marathe and the San Francisco 49ers, with American business billionaire Andrew Cavenagh also playing an important part. The cash-rich NFL titans have previously invested millions in Leeds United in the English Championship and could do the same to turn around the crisis-hit Light Blues fortunes in the summer window, with a deal expected to be concluded by June.
While Rangers have struggled on the pitch this season, with Philippe Clement facing the prospect of a trophyless year, Celtic have dominated domestically while also impressing in Europe’s top competition. The Champions League run ended in heartbreak at the playoff round, with Bayern Munich sending the Hoops crashing out in the final seconds at the Allianz Arena, with the Scottish champions earning about £38 million before ticket sales and other commercial activities are factored in.
But Lambert does not expect majority shareholder Desmond to give Rodgers any of the cash gained by the team during their excellent European run, telling talkSPORT: “No, not a chance. The disadvantage for Celtic is that the Scottish league is not the most powerful, as everyone is aware.
“They can only beat what lies in front of them. The club manages its finances well, and its members are quite intelligent, so they must live within their means.
“They cannot purchase someone for £50 million. They cannot. It is impossible. You can only travel within your means. You do not want to go bankrupt or liquidated. You have to look for yourself.
“They do that, battle within their limits, and they have an excellent board. They have a very good manager there. “The guys seem to work well together.”
