'Plans can change': Moussa Dembele refuses to rule out Celtic departure amid Premier League interest

Celtic forward Moussa Dembele is planning to stay at Parkhead for the foreseeable future but has refused to rule out a move away from Glasgow amid interest from Premier League sides such as Chelsea, Manchester United and Everton.

Dembele joined Celtic from Championship outfit Fulham for a nominal fee in the summer of 2016 and helped lead the Bhoys to a historic treble under the tutelage of Brendan Rodgers, scoring 32 goals in all competitions to help the Scottish giants win the league, Scottish Cup and League Cup.

The young Frenchman's goalscoring exploits inevitably attracted interest from the English top-flight: Everton considered making a move in the summer, Chelsea were credited with an interest in January while United recently emerged as competitors for the 21-year-old, who came through the ranks at Paris Saint-Germain.

Dembele is paying little attention to speculation surrounding his future and seems happy to remain with Celtic, but the France youth international is choosing to keep his options open for the time being as Premier League outfits circle.

"I can say [remaining at Celtic] is part of the plan, but the plan can change," Dembele told the Daily Mail. "As long as I am here I will give 100% but I don't know until when. I just focus on my football and give my best for the club, and we will see.

"I don't look at the media or what people are saying about me. I just focus on myself. All the talk is not difficult for me. That was the case when I was in France too so I have been used to it.

"I just get my head down and work. I have my agent and my family who take care of that and I focus on my football. You have to focus on what you are good at — and what I am good at is playing football and scoring goals."

Everton, Chelsea and United are not the only clubs interested in Dembele; Brighton and Hove Albion are said to be preparing a £20m ($26.7m) bid for the forward as they look to ensure survival, but Celtic believe to value the former Fulham star, who made his senior debut against Everton in April 2014, at around £30m.

Everton manager Sam Allardyce is prioritising the signing of a striker ahead of the January transfer window as he sets about finding an adequate replacement for Romelu Lukaku, who joined United in the summer.

United are also monitoring Dembele's development along with his former club PSG, while it remains to be seen if Chelsea decide to reignite their pursuit of the forward with manager Antonio Conte clearly no fan of Michy Batshuayi.