Neil Lennon says Georgios Samaras is not taking his decision to either stay or leave Celtic lightly.
The 28-year old Greece international could be on his way back to England this winter with Hull City showing interest while there have also been reports of attention from Atletico Madrid.
Regardless of where he ends up, Hoops boss Lennon knows the former Manchester City forward is putting plenty of thought into the crucial next phase of his career.
"It's not money, it's never been top of his agenda. It's where he sees himself playing for the next three or four years," he told the Daily Record.
"We can't do anything about a competitive league but we can give him the European experience and those nights at Parkhead are difficult to find elsewhere.
"He could have gone before he signed his last contract and earned much more money, and he didn't.
"He loves the club and he loves the city, but there are mitigating factors as to why he hasn't signed and why we haven't come to a deal.
"He's an intelligent boy. He does think deeply and he is very knowledgeable about the game.
"He has vast international experience with Greece and losing a player such as him would be a real blow to us. He'd be hard to replace and I can see why there are clubs interested in him.
"If he does go - and we'll probably know in the next week - we will need to work hard to find a like-for-like replacement, and these types cost a lot of money."
