And there we all were thinking that it might be almost a done deal. Cue Mr Mackay and a spanner for the works.

The fun and games continue.

For just as Joey Barton's exit out of Manchester City found someone throwing a ?300,000 “loyalty payment” into the mix at the last possible moment, so it now seems that David Marshall's potential move to Norwich could have a new fly in the ointment too – the prospect of a new contract offer from the Bhoys.

Or else, so his agent Willie Mackay claims after the Glasgow giants last month rejected Norwich's initial ?500,000 bid for the 22-year-old keeper.

“He has a year of his contract still to run and Celtic are ready to offer him a new deal,” McKay told BBC Sport.

Which all comes as bit of a surprise.

For unless they know that Artur Boruc is about to pack his bags for Aston Villa as Martin O'Neill's well-publicised hunt for a new No1 at Villa Park targets Parkhead's Polish international, so – cash aside – all that a new deal can offer Marshall at Celtic would be the chance to jostle for position on the bench alongside Mark Brown, the player that Gordon Strachan brought in as cover for Boruc once Marshall headed south to Norfolk on his ill-fated loan spell.

Re-read the stuff that the lad came out with to the Daily Record last week and the boy himself admits he'd love the chance to stay at Celtic – but only if he were playing games. Not watching Boruc at work every week.

And having slapped in a transfer request in a bid to get away this summer, is that the sort of action that is likely to prompt an offer of a new deal from Celtic?

It is, in short, all as clear as mud.

Now call old Ferret a cynic, but if the unfolding Marshall saga was getting to the stage of talking about pesonal terms with the agent and his boy, then 'news' that Celtic are about to offer him a new, lucrative deal to stay in Glasgow may be a way of getting the Canaries to up their offer; that rather than thinking they have the lad to themselves, there is an 'auction' of sorts going on – between Norwich and Celtic.

Very strange and all a bit unhelpful.

I get the distinct impression that Grant was looking to nail down a few of these deals in the next couple of weeks – if only to have one or two fresh faces in place before the start of pre-season at the beginning of July.

With that in mind I don't think he'll be in much mood to dance to Mackay's tune for too long; patience may wear a little thin.

Nothing is ever straight-forward in this game any more and Marsh's transfer could merely hammer that point home over the forthcoming days.