Campbell is in his second spell with Arsenal in England's top flight

Celtic are interested in signing England defender Sol Campbell, but it is thought that the 35-year-old's preference is to remain with Arsenal.

The prospect of signing Campbell has been discussed by the Glasgow club's board, but any deal with the veteran is a long way off.

Campbell returned to the Emirates in January on a short-term deal and went on to make 14 appearances.

A new one-year contract is on offer but has not been formally agreed.

And Campbell has been quoted on ESPN as saying that Celtic, who finished the season without a trophy but second in the Scottish Premier League, would be an attractive option should he fail to agree terms with Arsenal.

He had initially spent five years with Arsenal after leaving English Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur in 2001.

I've been looking for players, but whether the club take any notice of that is another thing Celtic caretaker manager Neil Lennon

Campbell had a three-year spell with Portsmouth before a surprising and controversial move to Notts County last summer.

After making his debut in September, he walked out on the League Two club and his contract was cancelled by mutual consent the following day.

Campbell trained with Arsenal in a bid to maintain match fitness until signing for the London club after the opening of the January transfer window.

He impressed enough in helping his side finish third for Arsene Wenger to offer him a new contract despite the manager saying he was looking to strengthen his defence during the summer.

It is believed that interim Celtic manager Neil Lennon would like to add experience to the heart of his defence in the mould of Rangers veteran David Weir.

Although Celtic have yet to make public any decision about a permanent managerial appointment, they have been linked with a number of possible high-profile signings.

Celtic have been holding negotiations with midfielder Steven Reid, whose contract is about to expire with Blackburn Rovers.

Meanwhile, Hull City head of football operations Adam Pearson has been quoted as saying that Celtic have shown interest in midfielder Jimmy Bullard following their relegation from England's top flight.

Celtic, along with Hanover, have also been linked with Slovenia captain Robert Koren, the midfielder who has rejected the offer of a new contract with promoted West Brom.

Following Tuesday's 2-0 friendly victory over St Pauli in Hamburg, Lennon admitted that he was pursuing new signings despite the continued uncertainty about his own future.

"I've been looking for players, but whether the club take any notice of that is another thing," he said.

Lennon led Celtic to eight straight league wins after taking over from the sacked Tony Mowbray in March, his only blip being a surprise defeat by First Division side Ross County in their Scottish Cup semi-final.

"In terms of the job, it is still an ongoing process," he said. "It's just as we were after the Hearts game.

"The club is going through the technicalities and there are applicants for it.

"I will be around for the next couple of weeks. In early June, I'll go for the residential part of the ProLicense and the club visit. Then I'm going for three weeks' holiday.

"There is no guarantee I will have an answer by then."

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