Hard to believe that Samaras has turned down nearly A£10m to move to Russia as he thinks it will harm his World Cup preparations.

Celtic striker Georgios Samaras has reportedly turned down an astronomical A£60,000-a-week, three-year deal to play in Russia for Rubin Kazan.

Russiaa€™s transfer window remains open until next Thursday and mega-rich Rubin are desperate to add to their squad. According to reports in Greece, Samaras was offered a bumper three-year contract with the ambitious club which would have earned him a staggering A£9.36 million.

However, the former Manchester City forward, who turns 29 tomorrow, rejected the deal because he didna€™t want to move to Russia and he thought the switch would hinder his preparations for this summera€™s World Cup.

Lawwell should be chasing him oot doon Kerrydale Street but Lennon will probably pick him to start against Hearts at the weekend.