Celtic defender Jozo Simunovic has pledged his future to the Scottish champions and rejected any notion he could leave in January, according to the Scottish Sun.
The Croatian target is believed to have been a target for the Magpies after almost leaving Parkhead over the course of the summer, only to see a move to Torino fall at the final hurdle.
A knee injury had stalled his progress, though a switch to join Joe Hart in Serie A never came about.
Former Toon boss Alan Pardew is another said to have been keen on the 22-year-old, who has returned to a starting role for the Bhoys.
However, despite almost leaving, the impressive defender has revealed he is in no rush to leave the club he joined from Dinamo Zagreb in 2015.
As former Liverpool coach Brendan Rodgers has restored the good times to the Glasgow titans, Simunovic is seemingly happy with life in Scotland and is no rush to move south of the border just yet.
”I know some clubs are still asking about me, and I don’t have a problem with that”, he said.
“But it’s not time for me to be leaving. I still haven’t shown everything to the Celtic fans.
“Probably in the future my time will come for leaving, but it’s not that time now.
“When I look back on what happened last August I’m happy I’m still here. I’m really enjoying it under this gaffer. Everything is fine for me.
“Do I hope the club says No if there’s an offer in January? It doesn’t matter what Celtic say, I want to stay. It’s my decision.”
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