AZ Alkmaar are braced to do everything they can to keep manager Pascal Jansen at the club if Celtic launch a bid to bring him to Parkhead, according to reports.

The Dutch coach has emerged as a shock contender to replace Ange Postecoglou in Glasgow after the Aussie headed to Tottenham earlier this week.

It has since emerged that Celtic could rival both Ajax and PSV Eindhoven for the 50-year-old, who appears to be a man in demand.

Jansen is fresh off the back of leading AZ Alkmaar to fourth in the Eredivisie. His side were also narrowly knocked out of the Europa Conference League by eventual winners West Ham in the semi-finals.

The Sun now say though that Celtic will face a major battle to bring Jansen to the UK, where he has never managed.

AZ recently tied him down on a contract until 2025 and they believe they can fend off the interest in their manager this summer.

Jansen joins a long list of names that have been linked with the Parkhead vacancy in recent days. 

Enzo Maresca, Brendan Rodgers, and David Moyes are among the favourites for the gig.

Celtic should bring Brendan Rodgers back “in a heartbeat” if their old manager is keen on a return to Glasgow, according to former Hoops full-back Mark Wilson.

There are reports that Rodgers would prefer a longer break after losing his job as Foxes manager in early April but talk of a return is lingering.

“If Celtic have got the option to bring him back, I would in a heartbeat, I really would,” Wilson said.

“Brendan Rodgers is a top-tier manager, his history shows that. You don’t get the Liverpool job if you’re not a top-tier manager, you don’t get the success in Glasgow he had if you’re not a top-class manager.

“He had a style of football here that the supporters and players bought into, possession-based. It was terrific to watch and it yielded trophies, year after year.

“Of course the baggage he has with some Celtic fans, the way he left, would be hard to dissolve. But football is a results-driven business and if he came back and started well, and there were a few good signings in the door, I think a lot of that bad feeling would quickly evaporate.”