Liam Miller's agent has insisted that money was not the only reason the player decided to leave Celtic for Manchester United.
The 22-year-old has signed a pre-contract agreement with the English champions that will seal a lucrative summer free transfer move.
Celtic insisted they had made the Corkman an offer that would have made him one of the highest paid players in Scottish footballing history, but Miller's agent, Finton Drury, insisted the lure of Old Trafford had been simply irresistible.
He told the Scottish Sun: "The player left for a combination of reasons and money was but one aspect. It is a career decision and Manchester United were the only other club that Liam would have left Celtic for.
"In the end it was a choice between one of the best clubs in Britain and one of the greatest clubs in the world."
A Celtic statement read: "We made an extremely generous offer to Liam Miller, the biggest salary deal ever put on the table for a young Celtic player who has come up through the ranks.
"This offer was made following detailed consideration of Liam's contribution to the team to date during his 16 first-team starting appearances as well as eventual potential. It is a salary package which would make him one of the very best-paid young players in Scottish football history."
But Drury responded: "The statements that Celtic are making about the financial situation are inaccurate and erroneous. But it is inevitable that when a club loses a player they don't want to lose suggestions are made that everything was done financially to keep him."
PA