TONY MOWBRAY has delayed jetting out to Canada for tomorrow's game against Benfica as Celtic are embroiled in a flurry of activity ahead of the transfer window closing at 5pm tonight.

The Parkhead boss has already sanctioned Darren O'Dea's loan to Reading until January, but only after the 22-year-old defender was handed a new three-year contract and assured he was a part of the manager's future plans.

That deal has closed the door on any possibility skipper Stephen McManus will be heading out of the club even short term.

McManus - who will report today for international duty with Scotland - is focusing on stepping up his bid to regain his first-team place following his successful knee surgery in May.

But striker Chris Killen is set to follow O'Dea south, with offers on the table from Doncaster Rovers and Swansea.

Mowbray has always maintained he will not stand in the way of players who want to move in pursuit of games.

But he will not allow anyone to go unless he is satisfied it will not leave him short going into a heavy domestic and European campaign.

The manager will be relieved when the window closes if Celtic have managed to continue to repel the interest from England and abroad in their top players.

So he will welcome the news that Spurs boss Harry Redknapp has switched his attention from Aiden McGeady and Scott Brown to Portsmouth's Niko Krancjar.

The Croatian - once a target for Celtic - is set to move to White Hart Lane in a £2.5million deal.

Manchester City's Martin Petrov is also a target for Redknapp.

Scott McDonald has also been attracting a lot of interest, and today has once again been linked with a loan move to Wigan.

The latest twist claims that Marlon King would come to Parkhead as part of a swap deal, with the Premier League club continuing to pay some of the 29-year-old's £38,000-per-week wages.

However, King is currently awaiting trial on an alleged sexual assault charge, and Celtic have confirmed they have no interest in entering into any such deal.

If Wigan boss Roberto Martinez still wants McDonald, he will have to come back with a straight-cash offer.

One player who won't be headed this way, however, is Sampdoria's 22-year-old midfielder Daniele Dessena.