Paris Saint-Germain have set a price of €6m with a sell-on clause of 25% for highly-rated Celtic target Edouard Michut.
The 19-year-old is a supremely polished midfielder who is not yet seen as ready for French football, but would fit Bhoys boss Ange Postecoglou's approach.
While Celtic have been in contact with PSG over Michut, they have indicated they are only willing to go just over €2m, which this week saw Postecoglou play down interest.
"Yeah, good player, but no,” said Postecoglou. “I have an interest in every good footballer in the world, but there is a limited market which I can tap into.”
This was still interpreted by sources in France as an attempt by Celtic to bring down the fee, with the extent of any sell-on clause also a point of contention. OGC Nice are also the main club interested in Michut, as they attempt to build a team capable of reaching the Champions League group stage under owner Jim Ratcliffe.