Celtic hitman candid on speculation as Parkhead teammate drops exit hint with 'that’s my goal' claim

Nygren, 24, is due to return to training with Celtic in the coming weeks after Sweden were knocked out of the World Cup at the last-32 stage following a 3-0 defeat by tournament favourites France earlier this week.

A key figure in Celtic’s dramatic title win last season, Nygren ended the campaign as the club’s top scorer, bagging 21 goals in all competitions as Martin O’Neill’s side claimed a fifth successive title win with a 3-1 win over Hearts on the final day.

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His performances in Glasgow were said to have caught the attention of several English Premier League clubs, with Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United and AFC Bournemouth all reported to be keeping tabs on the player’s progress in recent months.

Speaking about his future with Goteborgs-Posten, Nygren said: “I have my dreams and goals that I fight for every day and that I have done since I was young. I still have them, and that is to play at the highest possible level. But when that happens, I can’t answer right now.”

Asked about his immediate future, he replied: “We'll see.”

Despite his success domestically, Nygren endured a disappointing World Cup campaign this summer, receiving criticism from the Swedish press following an underwhelming performance in Sweden’s 5-1 group-stage thrashing by the Netherlands before their last-32 exit.

Dropping out of head coach Graham Potter’s starting XI for their final two games at the tournament, Nygren’s display against the Dutch was branded as “completely invisible” by Fotbollskanalen, who questioned his inclusion in the team, and labelled the team's attack as “too static”.

Meanwhile, Celtic teammate Reo Hatate has also been discussing his future at the club, after giving a revealing interview to Japanese outlet Fergus, where he outlined his ambitions and opened up about why he decided to move to Celtic back in January 2022.

“I don’t really like to appear in the media,” said Hatate. “But I talked to management, and they told me it’s very important for everyone to understand my personality and thoughts. I don’t think I’m bad at talking like this, and I think I’m the type of person who can speak well. I want to spread my ideas other than playing. I want to make more opportunities like this. First of all, I want to prove my value as a player on the pitch.

“After experiencing the Olympics, I thought that if I went overseas, I wouldn’t be able to go as soon as I did. At that time, I wanted to go overseas. I wanted to go to the Champions League. When I saw Dortmund’s yellow wall for the first time, I thought it was amazing. I really admire the stage of the Champions League.

“I want to challenge myself in the top five leagues. I’m not saying I’m satisfied, but I played in the Champions League. I played at a high level, but I haven’t been able to play at a high level every week. I want to play in the major five leagues. I want to play in the Champions League and the Europa League. That’s my goal.”