Peter Lawwell believes the Celtic model for bringing through young players and selling them for profit encourages others to come to the club.

The Parkhead side banked just over £12million this summer when Victor Wanyama was sold to Southampton while Gary Hooper netted a further £5m. Kelvin Wilson brought in £2.5m when he returned to Nottingham Forrest.

Celtic's transfer policy has been a successful one for the club, but Lawwell also believes it acts as a carrot for players who know that the SPFL Premiership club will not stand in their way if a more lucrative offer is forthcoming from elsewhere.

Virgil van Dijk has just arrived at the club, but appears as though he could be next to attract significant attention from other suitors.

The Dutch defender has looked assured and composed since arriving in the summer for a fee of £2.6m from FC Groningen, while goalkeeper Fraser Forster, on the cusp of winning his first England cap, is almost certain to move on.

Benfica were rebuffed this summer due to the timing of the offer for the keeper and the fact Celtic were facing up to three massive Champions League qualifiers.

His form, especially in Europe, has ensured interest in him remains high.

"There will be players who will come here who will want to stay longer, who think there are other things that matter, but the formula is that and has been proved," said Lawwell.

"That is one of the attractions for the sales pitch that we have for bringing players in, they can see they will get a chance at Celtic, they will get on the Celtic Park stage, they will get profile exposure through the Champions League, and if they do well then there is a natural next step.

"Early on in that strategy you're reluctant, but the inevitability, the reality takes you there."

Ironically, it is through selling players and raising revenue that the club can then reinvest in others.

"The more you sell, the better chance you've got of getting a better standard of player," he said.

"That's the sales pitch, but don't underestimate the challenge of keeping that pipeline flowing in terms of talent, because everybody's trying to do it.

"That's an expertise we've built up through John Park, who came here when Gordon (Strachan) was here and we kept it going through Tony (Mowbray) and Neil (Lennon)."

In that respect, Celtic's next port of call is the largely-untapped Asian market. Lawwell is in China this weekend as the club prepare to sign an agreement with a Chinese company who will represent their commercial interests and while they are there, Park will also take in a few games with a view to looking at players.

"We'll go to Beijing as we have contacts there and it's all about getting the Celtic name out there," Lawwell explained. "Whether it is through social, grassroots projects, whether it is academies here or sponsorship. For a Champions League club, that is the proposition.

"The difficulty we have in any international sponsorship is the competition, which is mainly the Barclays Premier League. They say they have three billion people who watch it. Manchester United claim they have 600 million supporters. That is the challenge.

"For Chinese companies looking to establish themselves in Europe, they get a bit of profile. For Chinese businesses who are buying brands to take back, it gives profile. Champions League. Football. Community. That's our proposition. Hopefully, they like us and our values and want to be part of it.

"John is going to meet a few people, see who is there and maybe take in a game or two."