RONNY DEILA has insisted Celtic will resist all offers to cash in on Virgil van Dijk before the Champions League qualifiers.

The Dutch defender has been linked to a clutch of Barclays Premier League outfits, including Sunderland.

Last week Parkhead No.2 John Collins described him as the best centre-half in Europe, and yesterday Deila joined in the chorus of approval over the 23-year-old’s qualities, but does not think he will leave Celtic during this transfer window.

He said: “We have to think about what is best. The most important thing is where is the money, if you talk about money?

“That’s in the Champions League. To get there, he, at his top level, is going to be so important for us in qualification.

“We’d be very happy if we can get the same amount of money for him that we get from Champions League. Then everybody would be happy. We want to keep Virgil because he is a top, top player and we want to reach the group stage.”

Delia admitted that he would be disappointed if the player left for a lower-league English side.

The Celtic boss said: “Virgil knows what I want and how we are going to do things. I also know what he is thinking.

“He is looking forward to the season with Celtic and he is going to stay for the qualifiers.

“If he should sign for somebody, it should be a big, big club that is challenging to win the Champions League. That’s the standard we look for.”