Virgil van Dijk
van Dijk wanted by a number of Premier League clubs. Reuters

Celtic manager Neil Lennon has indicated summer bids for players such as Manchester United and Arsenal target Virgil van Dijk are inevitable, adding that every player has their price.

The Scottish Premier League champions are expected to be faced with another mission to retain the services of integral members of their squad after losing Gary Hooper and Victor Wanyama to clubs south of the border last summer, in addition to Joe Ledley during the January transfer window.

22-year-old centre half van Dijk is the latest name to be linked with a move to the Premier League having garnered his share of admirers after excelling during his first season in Scotland.

While Celtic's previous big exports in Wanyama and Hooper joined Southampton and Norwich City respectively, van Dijk's agent revealed earlier this year that the "absolute top clubs" were monitoring him with representatives from Manchester City, Manchester United and Arsenal keeping tabs on him throughout the season.

After joining Celtic for just £2.6m last summer, Lennon would be in a position to make a profit on the Dutch centre half this summer and admits the possibility of more squad upheaval at Parkhead is strong.

When asked if he expected offers for his players this summer, Lennon told Fifa's official website: "It's a good question and the honest answer is that I don't know. I think there will be suitors for a couple of our big players, and one or two are coming out of contract, so you'd have to expect they'll be leaving.

"Realistically, I think we have to expect another decent turnaround, with a few players going out and a few coming in. Bids are all but inevitable for a couple of our players; it's just whether we accept them or not. But everyone has their price and we're preparing with that in mind, looking at other options for the positions concerned."

Van Dijk has been almost ever-present in the Celtic starting line-up this season having also aided his side's cause with four goals having been plucked from relative obscurity last summer. With another busy summer on the horizon, Lennon is hopeful his Celtic scouts can unearth one or two more gems to soften the blow of inevitable departures.

"I hope so. We're already looking at a few players we like, and with the league now settled, it gives me the space to go out myself and look at a few who are under consideration," Lennon continued.

"But whether we can keep on unearthing little gems, or big gems, is another matter. Our strategy has worked on the whole, but other clubs are now looking at our model and trying to copy it. And you can't always get your signings right. You just hope that your record of good ones outweighs the bad because it's such a crucial part of the job."