Maribor's Agim Ibraimi refuses to rule out possible Celtic move
By Pete O'Rourke
Maribor midfielder Agim Ibraimi has refused to rule out a move to Celtic despite helping to end their Champions League dreams.
Ibraimi was a key performer for Maribor as they shocked Celtic with a 1-0 win at Parkhead on Tuesday night to progress to the group stages of the Champions League 2-1 on aggregate.
The Macedonia international was linked with Celtic before they faced each other in the Champions League and he admits he would have to seriously consider a move to Parkhead despite signing a new deal recently at Maribor.
"I don’t know what will happen now,” said Ibraimi. “We are heading for the Champions League and I can’t say much about this.
"These are things for directors and managers to discuss. You know how it works – first it goes in the newspaper and then the player finds out about the move.
"I signed a new two-year contract ten days ago, but you never know – everything could still change. The Celtic fans were incredible on Tuesday night and, if I got another chance, then I would have to think about it.
"But Maribor is now in the Champions League and I have never played at that level before. This is a big opportunity for us and I think that, as things are right now, I will play with Maribor in the Champions League.
"There are people who deal with this at the club and I simply concentrate on the games. Normally it’s good when another club is interested in signing you, but I had to stay focused on Maribor and the Champions League.
"I heard about Celtic’s interest before the first leg. I received a call but I asked not to talk about a transfer until after the games had taken place.
"I don’t want to take any personal calls on transfers, though. That’s for people at the club, my agent and directors to deal with."