ANTTI NIEMI'S agent has admitted his client WILL leave St Mary's this summer.

And as reported in yesterday's Daily Echo, Celtic are leading the race to sign the inspirational Finnish goalkeeper.

Gordon Strachan's arrival at Parkhead is the catalyst which will see Niemi almost certainly end up at the Scottish giants for a fee of around £3m.

Strachan signed the keeper during his time at St Mary's, having missed out on him a few years previously.

"There is an interest from Celtic and if the opportunity arose for Antti to move there, he would certainly be keen to talk to Strachan," said Niemi's agent Richard Cody last night.

"It's not widely known but he was almost a Coventry player under Strachan before he opted to join Rangers and they have the utmost respect for each other.

"As well as the Celtic interest, there are a couple of Premiership clubs keen on him but he will definitely move from Southampton this summer."

Although Saints chairman Rupert Lowe has stressed that he will not sell the club's top assets at knock-down prices, there appears to be a willingness to listen to offers for the likes of Niemi and Kevin Phillips.

Both are proven Premiership players and could command a combined total in the region of £5m-£6m - with Celtic believed to be able to pay £3m for Niemi.

With the relegation clauses in the players' contracts having made up an estimated £10m of the £15m shortfall from the drop to the Championship, Saints may still need to sell players, particularly to finance a transfer kitty for manager Harry Redknapp.

Strachan, who brought Niemi to Saints for £2m in the summer of 2002 from Hearts, has refused to comment about Niemi, saying it would be "unfair on clubs and managers to talk about players who are at other clubs."

But with Rob Douglas heading for Leicester, it would appear that finding a new goalkeeper will be a priority from an estimated transfer fund of between £10m and £15m.

Niemi, 33, still has three years left on his Saints contract and has previously indicated a desire to end his career on the south-coast.

It is believed the player is not desperate to leave St Mary's, especially as he only recently announced his retirement from international football.

However, with understudy Paul Smith, above, acknowledged as a possible England prospect, Saints will be more comfortable about selling one of their top players in the knowledge that they have strength in depth.

Saints also have goalkeepers Alan Blayney and Michael Poke on their payroll plus promising Under-18 Scottish international shot-stopper Andrew McNeil.

So if the club have to trim their top-heavy squad, it makes sense to sell one of the goalkeepers.

Smith has been linked with Sunderland since Saints' relegation was confirmed, but the Black Cats now look likely to sign Ipswich Town's Kelvin Davis instead.