Celtic forward Leigh Griffiths is desperate to see Moussa Dembele remain with the club even though the youngster is currently keeping him out of the starting line-up.

The France under-21 international has been a revelation since moving to Parkhead from Fulham during the summer, scoring 16 goals in 24 appearances in all competitions.

The 20-year-old’s impressive form has meant that Griffiths, who has finished as the Hoops leading scorer in each of the last two seasons, has had to make do with a bit part role for Brendan Rodgers’ team.

Dembele’s form has also seen him be linked with a transfer away from Glasgow, with many of Europe’s top clubs being accredited with an interest in his services.

Griffiths however wants his fellow forward to remain with Celtic, as he believes it is imperative the club keep hold of their best players if they want to continue progressing in the right direction.

“Right now I couldn’t tell you what he is worth,” said Griffiths. “He has been invaluable to us this season with his goals and his performances.

We don’t want to lose any of our top players. “We are a team who want to be going places and for us to do that then we need to keep everyone here for a long time and let the manager get the chance to build a really strong side.”

Celtic are next in Scottish Premiership action when they take on Kilmarnock at Rugby Park after the international break.

Rodgers’ men are currently ten points clear at the top of the league standings and they are available at 1.01 to go on and win the title for a sixth successive season, while nearest rivals Aberdeen are priced at 34.00.