The father of Celtic’s January transfer target David Strelec has revealed the Hoops offered £7.9m to sign the striker.
Celtic were first linked with Slovan Bratislava ace Strelec just a couple of days before the close of the window as the Bhoys aimed to fill the void left by Kyogo.
The Japanese striker left Celtic for £10m and the Hoops then scrambled to find a replacement despite learning of Kyogo’s intention to leave months beforehand.
Celtic tried to loan Sevilla forward Kelechi Iheanacho, but Middlesbrough stole a march on the Parkhead giants and the former Leicester City star signed for the EFL Championship side.
Strelec was then linked soon after and it was reported at the time that Slovan Bratislava – who Celtic thumped 5-1 in the Champions League this season – were seeking around £9m.
Middlesbrough were in for Strelec and saw a £4.15m bid rejected. And it’s now been revealed by Milan Strelec that Celtic also saw a bid of £7.9m turned down.
That figure was nowhere near enough for Slovan chiefs and Celtic, in the end, failed to sign a striker on transfer deadline day.
Celtic saw £7.9m David Strelec bid booted out
As quoted by freelance journalist Mark Walker, Milan Strelec has now commented on Celtic’s interest in his son and admits he was delighted.
But that delight turned to disappointment upon learning of Celtic’s £7.9m rejected bid. Milan reckons Slovan wanted all of the money up front instead of in batches, but he isn’t 100 percent sure.
Milan said: “You know, when I heard about Celtic’s interest, I was thrilled. I was there at Slovan’s first match in the Champions League, whole families were sitting there, old and young, amazing atmosphere. I would have loved to see him there.
“He has made great progress since the Euro, he is doing well, he is scoring goals. But the decision about his transfer was made higher up.
“Celtic’s bid of €9.5m? (around £7.9m). That didn’t help either. Unfortunately, that’s how it is. But none of us knows the exact details of the contract or how the instalments or bonuses were set.
“Maybe Slovan wanted to get it all at once, that’s why the club decided against it. It’s probably pointless to get into it.
“I watched the Celtic game over the weekend, everyone knows that the Scottish competition is about two clubs, but it could have been a good intermediate step for David.
“But there are things you simply can’t influence. It turned out the way it turned out. We’ll see what happens in the summer. My son will continue to perform well, I’m sure of that.
“It was beyond my control. They have invested a lot in David over the years, although some would say he’s already paid it back. I guess they know what they’re doing.
“My son will continue to perform well and be professional and in the summer, who knows?”
What David Strelec’s agent said after transfer window closed
Strelec’s agent Robert Vittek appeared in the media after Celtic failed to sign the 23-year-old Slovakian striker.
Vittek said €8-10m was what Slovan Bratislava were looking for. Strangely, that is inside the parameters Celtic offered.
Vittek told Sport 24: “David has a great age, one of the best. He has been in good form throughout the autumn, including at the international level, which is very important.
“We, as a club, also want to benefit from this, break the ice and get closer to neighbouring countries that demand such amounts for players.”
“We didn’t say the exact number of how much we would like for him. However, the amount must be around eight to ten million euros.
“David is a very interesting item in the national team, the Champions League has also added value to him.”
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