Marcelo Saracchi is reportedly expected to leave Boca Juniors this summer, in a boost to Celtic’s hopes of signing him.
Saracchi’s loan spell in Glasgow is now over, and the general consensus in the support is that he would be more than welcome to return on a permanent basis.
The defender is loved by Martin O’Neill, though the Irishman’s managerial future remains uncertain with talks delayed until next week.
With a major rebuild ahead for whoever is in charge of Celtic next season, bringing Saracchi back feels like a no brainer for stability.
Name your figure to bring Saracchi to Celtic…
Boca Juniors plan to sell Marcelo Saracchi to non-Argentine club
As reported by Intransigente, Boca’s board, led by legendary midfielder Juan Roman Riquelme, will look to find Saracchi a new club this summer.
They reportedly intend to sell him to a club outside of Argentina.
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Racing Club are reportedly interested in Saracchi, so this news is a blow to them. It could’ve made the 28-year-old the first player to play for both teams involved in the infamous Battle of Montevideo in 1967.
Reports earlier this week claimed that Celtic hadn’t tried to buy Saracchi despite meetings with his agent. It has since emerged that they haven’t given up their interest.
In an impressive playing career, he has also played for RB Leipzig, Galatasaray and River Plate, being limited by injury in his early days in Europe.
An 11-time Uruguay international, he captained his country for the first time last October and will be desperate for a place in Marcelo Bielsa’s squad for next summer’s World Cup.
Saracchi found himself out of favour at Boca, after falling behind Lautaro Blanco in the pecking order before being banished from the squad after the Club World Cup.
Earlier this season, his agent, Marcelo Tejera, certainly sounded like the pair would be open to the idea of a permanent stay in Glasgow.
Money isn’t an object… who are you bringing back this summer?
Marcelo Saracchi’s agent Marcelo Tejera on Celtic talks
Tejera told Carve Deportiva: “It came up at Celtic, Marcelo [was] fascinated, Celtic are delighted with him.
“I even have a meeting with the CEO of Celtic because they want to start moving forward regarding the purchase.
“Let’s see how things go from here until the end of the loan. If it’s good to leave it there, then it’s good that he can go to a team in England who called me…
“Good news from the coach, Martin O’Neill, who is historic. In the first match I visited, he didn’t know the [team]…
“So he made him a starter, and at half-time he asked: ‘Who are you? Who are you that you play so well and I don’t know you?’
“Imagine, in the first match! And the other day, against Stuttgart, it was half-time and he shook his hand in front of the whole group, congratulating him.
“I was explaining to Saracchi: ‘this is not normal, that in England, that a coach of Martin O’Neill’s level does this with a player.”
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