Maloney's return to Celtic from Villa hinges on wage cut

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The Scotland international turned his back on a new deal in Glasgow last January, choosing instead to join Martin O'Neill's Aston Villa in the Premiership.

Now Gordon Strachan is prepared to welcome homesick Maloney back but it is believed the 24-year-old would have to agree to the personal terms originally put to him 11 months ago.

Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell tabled a wage offer of around £16,000 per week last winter as Maloney's contract neared its conclusion.

Homesick: Shaun Maloney is set for a return to Scotland after failing to settle in England

The £1million-valued player changed agents during that long-running saga and, as the transfer window closed, was eventually persuaded to be reunited with former Parkhead boss O'Neill at Villa.

But since going south on January 31, Maloney has admitted to deep regret at the way he handled his departure. He has also made just six Premiership starts and scored only two goals.

Maloney failed to make even the bench recently when Villa won at Blackburn but came on as a substitute in last weekend's home defeat by league leaders Arsenal.

He is under contract in England until summer 2010 on a deal expected to earn him a basic £20,000 per week, with added appearance bonuses.

Strachan is keen to work with the forward again to give Celtic even more creativity but the deal could now depend on whether the player is willing to accept a wage drop in the region of £200,000 a year.

With a degree of uncertainty over Shunsuke Nakamura's long-term future, and Thomas Gravesen on loan at Everton for a season, there is room for Maloney to pick up where he left off.