Celtic were very active in the final hours of transfer deadline day as the club looked to bolster their squad for the title run-in.
Celtic boss Martin O’Neill was delighted to have captured Benjamin Arthur, Junior Adamu and Joel Mvuka on the final day of the window.
All three are likely to feature in Celtic’s next fixture against Aberdeen tomorrow night, but there is a player who O’Neill really wanted who Celtic couldn’t get over the line.
Fares Ghedjemis rejected Celtic as it was reported that the Parkhead club were not willing to pay the £6m fee Frosinone wanted.
That appears to be untrue as Michael Gannon shares the real reason Ghedjemis’ move to the Scottish champions collapsed.
Is Fares Ghedjemis worth the £6.5m Celtic appear willing to pay?
Celtic ‘matched’ Frosinone’s asking price for Fares Ghedjemis
According to Gannon, Celtic matched the price Frosinone wanted for Ghedjemis, which completely blows the reports from journalist Orazio Accomando.
Gannon told the Record Hotline, “It turns out, I spoke to people today, that Celtic matched the asking price for him.
“I know people thought that Celtic backed off because of the fee, but apparently Celtic matched the £6m asking price.
“And I think that the kid was keen, but had a bit of a U-turn and changed his mind. He wants to stay for the rest of the season.”
Fares Ghedjemis transfer collapse ‘not Celtic’s fault’
The Daily Record journalist then goes on to explain how other clubs in Italy are chasing Ghedjemis as he shared how O’Neill really wanted to sign the French winger.
Gannon continued, “His contract’s not up until the summer, but they’ve [Frosinone] got an option. His club’s got an option on him.
“He’s actually effectively got 18 months left on his deal. I think he’s going to stay and see what the options are in the summer.
“So, a lot of talk about teams in the Serie A are chasing him as well. So, that one was one that got away. I think that’s the one O’Neill really wanted.
“But you’ve got to say, that’s not really Celtic’s fault that one. I know they get blamed for a lot of things, but that’s how it goes.”
£6m for a winger who has played just one full season in the top-flight seems like a lot of money to spend, considering what Celtic paid for the likes of Jota, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Auston Trusty.
It will be interesting to see what happens in the summer but this is one Celtic should avoid if the opportunity arises to sign Ghedjemis again.
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