Serie A side Monza are reportedly ‘pursuing’ a surprise £7 million move for Celtic defender Josip Juranovic.
The 27-year-old has been heavily linked with a move away from Paradise since the summer after a strong first year with the Hoops.
Clubs such as Atletico Madrid and Chelsea were believed to be monitoring the right-back, who has become a regular Croatian international.
After a strong showing at the World Cup out in Qatar during November and December, interest in Juranovic from around Europe was expected to ramp up once again.
With the January transfer window being open for just over a week, the most interest in the Celtic man has come from Italy, with both Torino and Monza reportedly contacting the Bhoys hierarchy.
And according to a report from Stephen McGowan in the Scottish Daily Mail, Italian Serie A side Monza are ‘pursuing’ a move for Josip Juranovic.
The former Legia Warsaw man is being chased by the ambitious Italian club on an initial loan deal until the summer before a deferred loan payment of £7 million is paid in the summer to make the move permanent.
The defender’s representatives were believed to be in Milan towards the end of last week, with Monza chief Adriano Galliani now keen to cut a deal with the Hoops in the coming days.
So Juranovic could be coming closer to a surprise January exit at the beginning of the winter window if Monza chooses to make their move and negotiate with Celtic.
Juranovic being pursued for £7m exit by Serie A side.
At this stage, it feels like a matter of when, and not if with regards to Juranovic’s future at Celtic.
The arrival of Alistair Johnston in November signalled the intent of Ange Postecoglou to quickly bring a replacement to the club.
As mentioned, plenty of interest was expected to arise in the defender, particularly after his strong showings at the World Cup out in Qatar.
However, I think it is fair to say that Celtic supporters were maybe expecting Juranovic to join a higher-placed European side, with Monza currently sitting 15th in the top flight of Italian football.
Given that the Croatian’s contract at Celtic still has another three and a half years to run, there is also a chance that we were expecting the club to raise the asking price.
But there are potentially a number of factors which could lead to the asking price dropping, given his age and lack of sell-on value for other clubs.
Juranovic would become Monza’s most expensive signing, with their previous highest deal being the €4.5m they paid for Mirko Maric in 2020 [Football Transfers].
Ange Postecoglou remained coy when discussing the future of Juranovic and Celtic teammate Giorgos Giakoumakis, ahead and after the 2-0 win over Kilmarnock at the weekend.
However, we could soon see some movement on the exit front at Parkhead, with Stephen McGowan reporting that the defender is being chased by the Italian club.
In other news, Celtic legend Kenny Dalglish calls for SFA transparency after VAR puzzlers.
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