Mowbray hopes Fortune smiles on Hoops

2nd July 2009

Tony Mowbray hopes to make Marc-Antoine Fortune his first Celtic signing in the next 48 hours after confirming Paul Hartley and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink have left the club.

Celtic have offered the Nancy striker a contract but face competition from the likes of Hull, Portsmouth and Fulham.

Fortune worked under Mowbray during a loan spell at West Brom last season and the Celtic manager is hopeful their personal relationship will work in his favour.

"Everything is in the balance," Mowbray told a media conference at Celtic's Lennoxtown training ground.

"I think it will happen naturally over the next day or two. I'll either be sitting watching him shaking someone's hand and holding a shirt up somewhere at an English Premier League club, or you will all come back here in a few days' time and meet the guy yourself."

Mowbray is working on other potential deals after releasing out-of-contract pair Hartley and Vennegoor of Hesselink.

He added: "I had a good long conversation with Paul. He came in to see me.

"The outcome of that is Paul won't be offered a new contract. He is free to look for other employment.

"I have had no contact with Jan. Jan is out of contract - he is free to seek other employment and I'm pretty sure that's what he will be doing at the moment."