Marcelo Saracchi’s agent has denied reports that Celtic backed away from a deal due to his wage demands.
It was confirmed on Friday that Saracchi wouldn’t be returning to Celtic, despite an apparent willingness from all parties for this to be the case.
Conflicting reports emerged on Tuesday regarding the cause of the deal collapsing, with suggestions that Saracchi’s wage demands proved a stumbling block.
Agent Marcelo Tejera has strongly refuted these claims, instead insisting that Celtic simply didn’t want him.
Who is to blame for Marcelo Saracchi not returning to Celtic? 🤔
The left-back has made his feelings clear….👀🍀
Marcelo Saracchi’s agent on Celtic collapse: ‘They didn’t want him’
The Celtic Way reported that the club indicated a willingness to do a deal as early as April, opening formal talks in June.
Celtic reportedly sought a loan deal initially before being told that this was a non-starter.
READ MORE: Celtic make James Penrice enquiry as Martin O’Neill targets Marcelo Saracchi replacement
It’s said that Celtic then didn’t return with an offer as they weren’t prepared to meet his wage demands.
However, Tejera has since told CeltsAreHere that Saracchi was one of the club’s lowest-paid players during his loan spell.
On why the deal didn’t happen, the agent simply said: “They didn’t want him. Full stop”.
Knowing Celtic, the truth is likely somewhere in the middle. The club operates with a strictly-imposed wage structure.
Earlier on Friday, it also emerged that Kelechi Iheanacho wouldn’t be returning to Celtic as Bursaspor announced his signing on a free transfer.
Iheanacho’s camp reportedly felt disrespected by the club’s offer, after reports in Scotland had claimed that he raised his weekly salary demand to £47,000.
However, Bursaspor president Enes Celik seemingly quashed these claims by confirming that he was earning around £23,000 per week.
Any possible attempts to control the narrative by Celtic have fallen flat on their face.
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