Petrov hopes Celtic let him leave

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SOFIA, Bulgaria -- Bulgaria captain Stilian Petrov says he hopes that Scottish giants Celtic will agree to sell him before the transfer window closes on Thursday.

"Everyone in Celtic knows the situation, I've expressed my desire to leave many times," said Petrov who is in Sofia preparing for Euro 2008 qualifiers against Romania and Slovenia.

The midfielder has said he would like to play in England and has been linked with Aston Villa, whose manager Martin O'Neill coached Petrov at Celtic.

"It's no secret that I'm a close friend with Martin and his Aston Villa assistants as well and I'm very glad for their impressive start in the league. But let's wait and see if I'm going to become Villa player," Petrov said.

The 27-year-old joined Celtic in July 1999 from CSKA Sofia and has scored 56 goals in 228 league matches, reaching the final of the UEFA Cup and winning four Scottish titles.

Petrov, capped 50 times for Bulgaria, signed a new deal with Celtic in January committing him to the club until 2010.

He then handed in a transfer request at the end of last season but it was rejected by the Scottish champions.

Celtic have since rejected a bid from Portsmouth, currently second in the Premier League.

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