Jack Hendry opens up about his future amid Burnley transfer ties and Celtic option
Burnley transfer target Jack Hendry has said he has been open to anything this summer as speculation escalates over his future.
The Celtic center-back is currently on loan to the elite Belgian side Ostend and helped the club win a surprise charge for Champions League places.
Its form has enabled it to forge links with many clubs including the Bordeaux, as well as Premier League rivals Newcastle United and German club Werder Bremen.
A deal is in place between Celtic and Oostende to make the loan deal permanent this summer, a deal the Pro League team are keen to make.
But Celtic could revisit the deal with the aim of bringing him back to Scotland, while a permanent move elsewhere could be an option given the 25-year-old has only one year left on his Glasgow contract.
For his part, the player wants to ensure that wherever he finds himself, he ensures a regular playing time.
“I am open to whatever comes to me”, he declared, in a interview with BBC Sport.
“It is vital that wherever I choose next season I need to play every week to continue my development.
“If Celtic are going to keep me that’s something they should make a decision on.”
The Hoops are currently without a manager following the departure of Neil Lennon and interim boss John Kennedy insists Hendry may still have a future at Celtic.
“It’s good that he did well,” Kennedy said, speaking to the Daily Record.
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“We kept in touch, I spoke to him a few times and he has fun and play regularly.
“It was a decision made at the time based on what we had and where we saw it.
“Again, this will be something that will have to be addressed this summer.
“I don’t think a decision will be made by then. It will depend on individual circumstances, how things look and what people think, but a conversation will likely take place at that point.
“Until then he just has to keep playing, put the games to his credit and people will make that decision.
“From talking to him, I know the playing time is what he enjoyed the most.”
The Clarets are looking for defensive reinforcements to compete with Ben Mee and James Tarkowski.
The latter was the subject of offers from Leicester City and West Ham United last summer but Burney pushed back the advances.
The 28-year-old is entering the final year of his current contract with the Clarets and his long-term future is likely to be a long way off Turf Moor.
It remains to be seen if Burnley will try to cash in the summer or if Tarkowski leaves for free in 2022.
Sean Dyche has Kevin Long and Jimmy Dunne, who has no more contracts this summer, as other options with Ben Gibson currently on loan at Norwich City and no future at the club.
The ex-Boro man will join the Canaries, who are 10 points clear at the top of the league, for £ 8million if Norwich gets promoted to the Premier League.
A new center-back will be on the transfer list for Burnley with Joe Worrall as a firm target while the Clarets also have an interest in Stoke City teenager Nathan Collins.
But Hendry could be another option as Dyche seeks to strengthen his ranks.