BRENDAN RODGERS is the key for Celtic if they are to hold on to Moussa Dembele.

That is the claim from club captain Scott Brown who reckons the Parkhead gaffer’s influence will convince Dembele to stick around in Glasgow.

West Ham have already been linked with a £20m swoop for the Frenchman who has taken Scottish football by storm since moving north from Fulham last summer.

And while Celtic are in no rush to sell on their most prized asset as potential suitors continue to watch the situation closely, Brown believes the bond between the 20-year-old striker and his manager is the main reason the player will want to stay at Paradise.

Read more: Scott Brown agonises over 'biggest decision of his career' between Celtic and Scotland

“He’s going to learn a lot more under the gaffer than probably, without being disrespectful, going to someone who is fighting relegation,” he said.

“The manager has been a great boss, he’s been at Liverpool and Moussa will learn a lot from him and the coaching staff.

“Fair play to him, he does it in the big games as well and it’s been great for us to have him and hopefully we’ll have him for another good six months or so anyway.

“Celtic is a great place to be and it’s always been my focus to stay here and play for as long as possible.

“You get the opportunities and it is whether it is right for him or not.

“People can go and chance their luck and you never know, Moussa can go down there, do what he’s been doing at Celtic and be in flames and go to a top four club.

“Look at Virgil [van Dijk] and Victor [Wanyama]. That’s what can happen if you take your chance at the right time.

“He has a lot to learn. He is still young, still keen and scoring lots of goals for us.”

Read more: Scott Brown agonises over 'biggest decision of his career' between Celtic and Scotland

Whether Dembele wants a move away from Parkhead is only part of the issue for Celtic fans keen to see the man already with 19 goals to his name kick on again after the January break.

The lure of big clubs with even bigger pay packets south of the border could be a distraction to young players dazzled by the glitz and glamour of the Barclays Premier League.

However, Brown is confident the chilled out Dembele isn’t one of them.

“Moussa is too laid back for anything to go to his head,” said his skipper.

“He is so chilled-out. He comes into training, does his bit and that’s him.

“There’s no: Look at me, I’m going for £20 million or £25 million. We start at 9.15am on the dot. He just swaggers in at 9.15am on the dot.

“He’s the most laid-back guy in the work, trains, does his bit in the gym. If you walk past him, he has his music on and he’s just happy with that.

Read more: Scott Brown agonises over 'biggest decision of his career' between Celtic and Scotland

“Nobody has even mentioned anything to him. If it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen and you don’t want to start putting things in his head or doubting him.”

Meanwhile, Celtic are hopeful that the deal to bring in Kouassi Eboue will be completed within the next 24 hours.

The Krasnodar defensive midfielder is in Dubai waiting on clearance for his move to go through, but the club are confident his work permit will be granted imminently to allow the Ivorian to become Rodgers’ first signing of the January window.