Sunday looks to be a decisive day for Celtic’s interest in Fares Ghedjemis.
The French-born winger who plays for Serie B side Frosinone is reportedly one of the targets being pursued by Martin O’Neill, with negotiations ongoing.
Ghedjemis wouldn’t come cheap; his club are seemingly demanding a fee of £6-7 million. Typically, Celtic get reluctant at that price.
Celtic have Demir Redzic as an alternative option, but they’ll need to pick a target and stick with them soon.
With the January transfer window slamming shut on Monday, the Frosinone boss was inevitably asked about the Hoops’ interest in his star man.
Is Fares Ghedjemis worth the £6.5m Celtic appear willing to pay?
Frosinone boss on Celtic target Fares Ghedjemis
A left-footed right-winger, Ghedjemis would offer Celtic a profile that they haven’t had since the sale of Nicolas Kuhn.
He is aged 23, and joined the Italian side for just £250,000 a year ago.
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But given what’s being widely reported, could he have played his last game for Frosinone against Virtus Entella on Sunday?
His manager, Massimiliano Alvini, discussed the winger after the 1-1 draw, giving his gut feeling on his future.
He said: “Will I find Ghedjemis in training on Tuesday? I think so.
“But if the player leaves for a fee, I don’t know. I’m still happy for him, for the club, and for the work done.”
The fee seems to be the one stumbling block here, with time running out for the two clubs to reach an agreement.
Celtic have already seen attacking targets Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, Kieron Bowie and Franko Kovacevic move elsewhere this winter.
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Celtic’s January transfer window so far
The signing of full-back Julian Araujo was completed early in the window… but less than a week later, Wilfried Nancy and Paul Tisdale were sacked.
O’Neill then assumed control of recruitment, admitting to ‘discarding’ targets in his early days back in the job.
The Hoops had to wait for a striker, and if Tomas Cvancara can continue to contribute as he did in Edinburgh, he may be worth the wait.
But in the eyes of many, this has only been a start. Celtic’s makeshift recruitment team could be in for a stressful final few days of the window.
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