Italian Serie A side Monza are reportedly scheduled to host a meeting with Celtic amidst interest in right-back Josip Juranovic.
The Croatian international has been heavily linked with a move away from Parkhead in the January window after a strong showing at the World Cup in Qatar.
A host of clubs from across Europe, including the likes of Atletico Madrid and Chelsea are all believed to have been watching Juranovic closely.
In the opening days of the January window, there has been plenty of speculation. But no concrete moves have been made for the Celtic defender as of yet.
However, according to a report in Italy from Sport Italia, ambitious Serie A side Monza are scheduled to hold talks with Celtic regarding Juranovic.
The recently promoted top-flight side currently sits 15th place in the league, and as recently as 2019 they were still playing their football in the Italian third division.
However, the cash-rich club, owned by former Prime Minister and owner of AC Milan, Silvio Berlusconi, are attempting to solidify their place in the Serie A, and could target the Celtic man as part of their January recruitment.
Although talks are reportedly scheduled to take place, it is not clear how far Monza’s interest in Juranovic has gone and whether they are at the stage of placing a bid.
After his strong showings at the prestigious tournament in November and December, there is bound to be a host of clubs watching this situation closely.
European side could look to make surprise move for Juranovic; Celtic still hold all the cards.
With all the reported top clubs interested in Juranovic this summer, it may come as somewhat of a surprise to see Juranovic linked to the lower half Serie A side.
However, looking into the club, they are clearly backed by big and ambitious owners as they aim to solidify their place in the Italian top flight at the first time of asking.
Currently, Monza’s highest fee paid for a player is €4.5 million for Mirko Maric from Osijek in 2020 [Football Transfers]. And you would imagine the Celtic hierarchy will be demanding a much higher fee for Juranovic.
The Hoops still hold all the cards in transfer negotiations, with the defender arguably at his peak value and still having another three and half years on his current contract.
But, if reports are to be believed, Monza sounds serious in their interest and are set to hold talks with the Hoops to discuss the possibility of a move for Juranovic.
It should certainly be interesting to see where this one goes in the coming weeks. Personally, I would be surprised if we see the Celtic number 88 complete a move to Monza by the end of January.
However, if they do turn out to be serious about their interest, the Serie A side could be ready to pay the required fee, and it would ultimately be down to the decision of Josip Juranovic.
In other news, “Ready to talk;” European sporting director confirms interest in Celtic man.
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