Celtic’s summer transfer window was nothing if not controversial.
The entire Parkhead support knew what Brendan Rodgers needed, but in the end, it was a tale of the squad being left underprepared for the season.
Nicolas Kuhn, Greg Taylor and Adam Idah were among the team’s departures, and the list of incomings was a mixed bag.
A wave of Celtic fan protests has made the views of the support clear, whilst Rodgers’ comments on the window ultimately cost him his job.
And now, one of the Celts’ summer transfer targets has been caught up in a bizarre situation in Romania.
FCSB president on Celtic transfer target Louis Munteanu
Celtic were after several strikers in the summer.
But Louis Munteanu of CFR Cluj was among the most publicised, with his club setting a transfer price publicly that wasn’t met.
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The 23-year-old, who previously played in Italy, has been clinical for the Romanian side and reportedly garnered interest from Europe’s top five leagues.
He racked up 25 goals last season and was widely expected to leave, but ultimately stayed put after his club set their asking price too high.
A few weeks ago, fellow Romanian side FCSB (the phoenix club of Steaua Bucharest) entered the race, tempting Munteanu to remain in Romania.
But FCSB’s own president, Mihai Stoica, has now communicated that the transfer won’t take place.
According to unumihai, the side from the Romanian capital offered 4.5 million Euros to Cluj for the forward, less than half of the asking price that his club set in the summer.
But after this was rejected, Stoica has expressed his desire for the deal to ‘fall through for good’, saying that his club are focusing on other positions.
After a prolific 2024-25 campaign, Munteanu has struggled this time around, scoring just twice as of mid-November. This may be the real reason why FCSB aren’t moving forward with their interest.
Celtic’s main summer transfer targets
It wasn’t just a striker that Rodgers was after in the summer.
Celtic were interested in Veljko Milosavljević of Red Star Belgrade, but the central defender ultimately joined Bournemouth where he is now earning rave reviews.
Danish midfielder Jakob Breum was also heavily linked with a move to Glasgow, with his club’s sporting director urging Celtic to pay up. He was injured in a Europa League win against Aston Villa last month and hasn’t played since.
Kasper Dolberg, David Strelec and Jamie Vardy were among the other strikers linked with a move to Parkhead,
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