Celtic hero Neil Lennon insists it is vital that the club keep Matt O'Riley until at least the summer.
The 22-year-old recently signed a new deal with the Scottish champions which keeps him under contract at Parkhead until 2027.
O'Riley has thrived under Brendan Rodgers so far this season, scoring nine goals and providing eight assists, leading to speculation linking him away from the Hoops in the upcoming January transfer window.
And Lennon feels it is of upmost importance that Celtic keep the Dane at the club
Speaking exclusively to Ladbrokes Fanzone, he said: "Matt O'Riley has had a huge impact on the team this season, he's been magnificent in all areas; wherever I've watched him, be it domestically or in Europe... he's been excellent.
"His three assists in the Champions League were out of this world, and his game has just improved no end.
"Under Brendan [Rodgers], he's scoring a lot of goals, and creating so many opportunities for the team.
"He's always a threat, and he's got a real knack of making those late runs into the box, undetected.
"He's a fantastic talent, and he's been a brilliant bit of business for the club.
"The priority, for the club, is to keep hold of him. Particularly in January. I'm sure there'll be a lot of offers coming in for him, but I think the club are in a position to stay strong in the January window.
"I do think that Brendan will want to trim the squad in other areas, but I'm sure O'Riley will stay until the end of the season... at least that's what I'm hoping for, anyway!"
"But you can't stop the progress, so I would imagine selling him will be something that Celtic will look at in the summer.
"He's proven himself at the highest level, in the Champions League. He's been the best player in Scotland this season, so you're looking at £25-30 million for him, at least.
"He's made his debut for Denmark, too, so all of these things have come very quickly to him in the last few months, but that's down to the boy, his family, and the way his career has been managed up to this point."
Lennon feels the midfielder has a very high ceiling and reckons he could get into most teams.
"I think he's a top, top player, and I think that he could play at a very high level in the Premier League," he continued.
"You know, Celtic will get top dollar for him, I'm sure of that. If you're looking at any of the top six or seven teams in England, Matt could play there.
"Maybe he wouldn't get straight into the first eleven, but he'd take his game up a level at any of those clubs, I'm sure of that.
"He's such an intelligent player and he takes everything on board from his coaches; whoever he's playing under.
"It's not just the Premier League, though; he could easily go and play abroad... maybe in Spain, Italy, or one of the big clubs in Germany... that wouldn't surprise me.
"But I want him to finish off all of his good work at Celtic first, though. He's been a real standout player this season, and it's really important they can keep hold of him past this January transfer window, at least."
