Celtic boss Neil Lennon says Gary Hooper deserves a contract upgrade.

Southampton are chasing the Hoops striker for the summer market.

"Gary is one of our best players and he should be paid accordingly," said the Celtic boss after Tuesday's 2-0 friendly loss to Norwich City. "He has been magnificent for two seasons.

"He came as a relatively unknown player from Scunthorpe and is now one of the top players.

"Quite rightly, he will be looking to get a wage increase. We don't have a problem with that.

"I can't see us not agreeing to a deal for him. We have already had preliminary talks with his representatives and they will continue for the next few weeks."