CELTIC will hold showdown talks with striker Georgios Samaras in a bid to resolve his Parkhead future.

The Greek star is out of contract at the end of the season and has so far refused to sign a new deal with the champions as a host of clubs circle in the hope of landing him on a Bosman this summer.

Boss Neil Lennon confirmed in SportTimes last week that the Hoops could go back to the table as they look to keep Samaras in Glasgow and he is eager to see the situation resolved one way or the other.

Lennon said: "I'm expecting us to have talks with Georgios again regarding what he is going to do.

"But at the moment we are in the dark as to whether he is going to stay or go.

"It's not been made clear to us yet by him or his representatives.

"At the moment, we have to take it that he is going, because his contract's up in June.

"We were pretty much hoping it would have been done by now, so unless things change by the end of the month, I'd imagine that would be the end of it.

"He's not really been evasive about it, no. It's just we haven't come to any sort of agreement.

"I can't speak on his behalf. I don't want to say something that he looks at and says 'That's totally incorrect'.

"So the question should really be asked of Georgios."

He added: "I don't know how much money is involved, I don't get involved in that side of it. That's down to Peter Lawwell and Georgios' representatives.

"My gut feeling is that he won't be here next season, put it that way. Unless something remarkable or some very swift action takes place in the next week or two."

Having lost Kelvin Wilson, Victor Wanyama, Gary Hooper and Joe Ledley in recent months, and with Samaras likely to follow, Celtic are expected to splash the cash in the summer ahead of another Champions League tilt.

But Lennon insists he doesn't need drastic surgery after the captures of Stefan Johansen and Leigh Griffiths last month.

He said: "We have to keep working away at it. January was always going to be difficult.

"We did try to spend a bit of money but a deal from the other end got very very messy.

"That was a shame because I felt the guy was a good player.

"We could revisit that in the summer. I know his club were keen on him staying but I don't know if he has signed a new contract. We did match the clause in the contract.

"But we go again, we are working away. We are not going to make wholesale changes.

"We are just going to improve the squad here and there."