Al Ahly boss Marcel Koller has issued a hands-off warning to Celtic about his star man Afsha and insisted they will do everything possible to keep him in Egypt.

The Hoops have been linked with a loan move for the Egyptian international, who plays with Liverpool legend Mo Salah for the national team.

Attacking midfielder Afsha plays for Cairo giants Al Ahly and signed a new contract two years ago, but he's been consistently linked with a move to Europe.

He's been instrumental in Al Ahly’s success in the last two years, helping them to a total of seven trophies since arriving from Pyramids FC.

He saw a £300,000 move to Sivasspor collapse in August, but local reports claimed Celtic had made overtures to the Cairo club about taking him on loan in January.

However, Al Ahly's Swiss manager Koller insists the 26-year-old is going nowhere.

The former Cologne and Austria boss said: "Afsha is one of the important players at Al Ahly and he would be impossible to replace.

"The club's response and my answer are clear. He is not for sale either on a permanent transfer or a loan.

"At the moment, we are participating in a number of tournaments and he is a vital part of the team. We want to maintain the strength of our playing squad not weaken it."

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou revealed this week he wanted to bring in new faces in January and confirmed the signing of Japanese defender Yuki Kobayashi and appears to be closing in on Canadian defender Alistair Johnston.