Gustaf Lagerbielke has had a difficult first few months at Celtic and amidst speculation the club will listen to offers for him, a Serie A club is showing interest in a January move.
Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio reports that Lecce have made contact with the Bhoys about a loan move for the Swedish international defender.
It’s said that Celtic are open to the switch but that there are significant costs attached which may hinder the deal going through – the negotiation isn’t thought to be easy for the Italians. It’s unclear if this is with regard to a loan fee or wages.
Nonetheless, it’s the first real tangible club link that suggests Lagerbielke will indeed be making a sharp exit from Celtic Park despite only signing during the summer window.
It was reported last month by The Scottish Daily Mail that the Bhoys would be listening to offers for the Swede and Japanese defender Yuki Kobayashi.
Celtic set to move ahead without Gustaf Lagerbielke
Lagerbielke has made nine appearances in all competitions since arriving at the club but it has become increasingly apparent that there are many defenders ahead of him in the pecking order.
Nat Phillips has already returned to Liverpool after his short-term loan, leaving Brendan Rodgers with a core of four central defenders to work with in the second half of the season – Cameron Carter-Vickers, Liam Scales, Stephen Welsh and Maik Nawrocki.
Lagerbielke joined Celtic for a reported £3m [Sky Sports] and the fact he could leave so quickly into his Bhoys career raises questions for the club’s scouting and recruitment staff.
The 23-year-old signed a five-year contract with the club so even if he does end up leaving on loan, it doesn’t mean his time at Celtic is entirely over. We’ve seen bigger comebacks than this over the years.
Getting regular football in a quality standard league could well be beneficial to his long-term prospects in Glasgow.
At the very least, it would help the Bhoys take in a decent transfer fee for him down the line if the manager truly doesn’t think he has what it takes to star for Celtic.
In other news, Joe Hart’s Celtic future just became clearer as Brendan Rodgers poses key question.
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