Celtic's majority shareholder Dermot Desmond insists the club have not given up hope of keeping striker Henrik Larsson at Parkhead beyond next summer.
The former Sweden international has consistently maintained he will leave the Hoops when his contract expires.
Manager Martin O'Neill is refusing to give up the fight to keep the 32-year-old at Parkhead. And now Desmond will throw his weight behind the campaign to keep Larsson at Celtic.
He said: "His contract ends in the summer and he says he is retiring but we like to think he will stay on after we win a Champions League place for another year.
"He is 32 years of age and still has a couple of good years and we like to think he will stay on but it is Henrik's decision."
Desmond is also refusing to give up on the idea of the Old Firm playing in the Barclaycard Premiership one day despite the odds stacked against the idea becoming reality.
He added: "I have never given up any hopes. I think it is a logical step. If the majority of neutral fans want it, I think it will happen because football is there to entertain and, if the audience want something, they will eventually get it.
"Football is evolving and it is much bigger entertainment than it was 25 years ago and it will be bigger again in the next 10 years.
"If it doesn't happen, it is not the end of the world for Celtic and Rangers because they have a big base in Scotland and Europe.
"But it would be in the interests of football in Britain that Celtic and Rangers played in a British Premier League."