KEITH Andrews has passed up on the chance of Champions League football with Celtic to make a move to Wanderers.

The Republic of Ireland international, currently a free agent, was offered an opportunity to discuss a deal North of the Border on his return from the European Championships this week.

The Glasgow giants had tried to wrap up the 31-year-old’s signature before he flew out to Poland and Ukraine with the Ireland squad, knowing that newly-promoted Huddersfield Town had also made him a good offer.

But once Owen Coyle’s interest at Wanderers had materialised, the midfielder is understood to have ruled out going anywhere else.

Andrews, who started last season at Blackburn Rovers but was loaned out to Ipswich Town in the Championship, wants to stay in the North West and will meet with the Whites next week to iron out the details of his contract.

However, he will not have particularly fond memories of the European Championships, at which the Irish lost all three of their games in Group C, with Andrews sent off in the third for two bookable offences.

Nevertheless, on the domestic front, it looks like being the second time Coyle has got one over on his boyhood club Celtic, after also stealing a march on the signing of centre-half Matt Mills.

The Whites boss is due to meet with the 25-year-old Leicester defender on his return from holiday next week to finalise a season-long loan deal that can be made permanent next summer for £2million.

Nigel Pearson is looking to move on a huge number of players this summer at the King Power Stadium and has allowed Mills to leave for less than half the fee paid to Reading by his predecessor Sven-Goran Eriksson last summer.

Pearson will be hoping, however, that he does not find the same success as DJ Campbell, who fired Blackpool to promotion after sedning him out on loan in 2010 – also after a fallout.