Celtic manager Neil Lennon has ruled out a big-money replacement for Gary Hooper as he vowed not to upset the club’s wage structure.
Lennon hailed Hooper as Celtic’s best striker since Henrik Larsson after the Englishman returned south to sign for Norwich.
Like Larsson, who scored 242 goals for Celtic after signing from Feyenoord for £650,000, Hooper more than justified his price tag.
The 25-year-old netted 82 goals in three years following his £2.4 million move from Scunthorpe before earning Celtic more than double their initial outlay and it is that signing policy that Celtic will continue to deploy, despite bringing in almost £18m in the past few weeks.
Lennon, who has brought in Virgil van Dijk, Amido Balde and free agent Steven Mouyokolo for a total of about £5m, said: “We’re looking and looking, it’s not as easy as everyone thinks.
“Yes, we have brought in a lot of money but we have to safeguard the future of the club as well. We have to be mindful of that when we go into negotiations with players.
“We are trying to push the button on one or two. We have already brought three in but obviously attacking areas are a priority.”
Lennon gave little away on whether he would return for Wolves striker Kevin Doyle, following a failed attempt to sign the Irishman in January.
He confirmed he had watched Evian striker Saber Khelifa and that the Tunisian was an option, but added that he had a “list as long as your arm”.
He said: “I don’t think we are going to spend £6-7m on a player. I’m not going to break a spirit and wage structure here because, once you start doing that, I’ll be getting a lot of knocks on the door.
“Everyone talks about a marquee signing. Players who cost £6-7m are difficult to attract.
“In Gary’s case we couldn’t offer him the same sort of package as Norwich. That’s just the reality of where we are at the minute.”