Italian report: Celtic's £13.8m Frimpong demand too high for Roma

By David Walton

December 27, 2020

Celtic’s €15million (£13.8m) valuation on Jeremie Frimpong is too high for Roma, according to the reliable Gazzetta dello Sport.

Reports of the Serie A giants’ interest kicked off last week, with the initial valuation being reported (La Gazzetta dello Sport, print edition, page 16). Roma boss Pablo Fonseca is said to be keen on the Parkhead quickster.

However, this week it’s been reported that the fee wanted is too much. No figure has been revealed with regards to how much Roma would be willing to pay.

The source reports that they’re looking to sign a new striker and right-back next month.

La Gazzetta dello Sport also says that key talks will be held by Roma. This will coincide with the return of their sporting director Tiago Pinto, who is taking charge of transfer operations. It remains to be seen whether an official offer comes in for Frimpong next month.

Celtic taking the right stance here

Make no mistake, Celtic will almost certainly have no interest in opening discussions with Roma or anyone for Frimpong.

The Dutch youngster has ridiculous potential as a future right-winger too. If Roma are trying to utilise him as a potential right-back option, they may want to reconsider their options. This is a player destined to play higher up the pitch in the long-term.

You could argue that the reported valuation Celtic are said to have for him is actually quite low. Given the fact Frimpong is only 19 and has so much pace and technical ability. You see a lot worse going for a lot more in England and across Europe.

Jeremie Frimpong causing havoc for Celtic at Hamilton (Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images)

It would be interesting to know how much Roma are willing to pay. Not that Celtic should accept anything of course. This is too important a season to be selling our best players midway through. Especially with the size of task we currently have on our hands between now and the end of the campaign.

If Roma were to have bagged Frimpong for £13.8m, I would’ve said that’s a steal. If developed correctly, his valuation could be whatever he wanted it to be. That’s how good he can be if he gets there. But from a Celtic perspective, it’s more essential we keep a hold of him than get involved in any talks.

Setting our price-tags high for our top stars should be a must this January. Therefore, scaring off potential suitors must be our number one goal. The last thing we need during such an important month is a saga or two developing.

In other news, one Celtic star went under the radar yesterday after managing a 100% passing accuracy total.