Heerenveen coach Gertjan Verbeek says he is planning for the remainder of the season as if hot transfer topic Michael Bradley will still be around.

Frisians executive Yme Kuipers recently revealed that the club expect to do business on the US midfielder when he enters the final year of his contract this summer. The 20-year old recently rejected a new Abe Lenstra deal with designs on a move at season's end.

Bradley already has 15 goals on the campaign, which has alerted potential suitors to come have a look sooner rather than later, but Verbeek is confident his American ace will finish out the season at Heerenveen.

"Never say never in football, but I count on Bradley staying here," he told the club website. "He is ready, though, for the step to a top club."

Verbeek is almost as sure that Bradley will stay until summer as he is of the player's eventual success elsewhere.

"Bradley has a great mentality, he will always make it," asserted Verbeek. "Just as I was convinced that Klaas-Jan (Huntelaar) would make it at Ajax, I am almost certain that he will make it elsewhere."

Blackburn, Celtic, Everton and Hamburg have been linked with Bradley, but another possible scenario has Verbeek taking over at Ajax this summer and bringing the American along.

None of the parties have been willing to talk about a winter move and Bradley prefers only to speak of the next Heerenveen match on the schedule, but scouts have been dispatched to his games over the past few weeks.