Celtic have already began trimming their bloated squad and have taken one step further to doing so even more.
The club have saw Nat Phillips and Yosuke Ideguchi leave during the early part of the January transfer window and now, Rocco Vata could be next up.
The highly-rated 18-year-old has been close to a Celtic exit ever since the end of the summer window, with Nottingham Forest and Torino seeing bids for him rejected by the Hoops.
Sampdoria showed an interest in him last month but that link has quietened down. Their Serie A rivals Bologna are now leading the charge to sign Vata and according to Fabrizio Romano on Tuesday, the Italians are prepared to enter into talks.
Well, those talks have now reportedly commenced. Sky Sports journalist Anthony Joseph has delivered his most up-to-date assessment of Vata’s seemingly impending Celtic exit.
Rocco Vata transfer update
On X, Joseph has posted: “Celtic have granted Bologna permission to speak to forward Rocco Vata. Talks are now ongoing. The Serie A club are exploring a permanent transfer in this window, as well as a pre-contract agreement.”
Vata is out of contract in the summer and Celtic have clearly decided against offering him a new deal. He’s only played four times for the first-team and is spending more time lighting up the Lowland League this season with a haul of 12 goals in 13 games for Celtic B.
A parting of the ways would suit both Vata and Celtic here, but this is disappointing because the attacking midfielder is clearly a bright prospect.
Brendan Rodgers hasn’t provided him with any first-team minutes this season and that is a clear indication that things are not working out for Vata at Parkhead.
It’s now just a case of whether he leaves immediately or sticks around until the summer after signing a pre-contract with Bologna.
Joseph has previously intimated that Celtic would rake in £343k in compensation should the latter be ratified.
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