According to recent reports, former Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers is preparing a bid for Josip Juranovic, who is thought to be of interest to many clubs ahead of the summer transfer window.
Fabrizio Romano told the Here We Go podcast the news about Juranovic, and was open about how much he believes the talented full-back could cost.
“His price will be around 10, 12, 15 million euros,” Romano said.
He also added: “This boy is doing great with Celtic. He’s performing at top level, one of the most interesting right-backs on the market, and I have the feeling that in the summer, he has chances to move. So I am told that many clubs are exploring this opportunity.”
So it seems the Hoops may have a fight on their hands to keep Juranovic at the club.
With the transfer window recently shutting, this gives Rodgers more time to monitor the performances of the Croat, whilst also giving current Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou some time to try and pin him down to a new deal.
But if the Australian is unable to retain the full-back’s services, what could this mean for Celtic?
Postecoglou concerned about traction?
Juranovic has had a fine start to his Celtic career, posting the best goalscoring numbers of his career, while being a mainstay in a tight defence that tops the league table at present.
However, with the recent traction of the full-back, it could be a hard offer to turn down if a Premier League club were to come calling in the summer for the player.
Postecoglou has made it clear that he is looking to build a future for the Scottish side and he could therefore be very disappointed if he was to lose a key piece to the puzzle that he is trying to form.
In this sense, selling Juranovic could be a large setback to the manager’s Celtic project.
Board face huge call?
Juranovic has been a mainstay in the Celtic side this season and his solidity at the back mixed with his attacking threat has been pivotal to the side’s bounce-back after last season’s failure to secure their 10th league title in a row.
He only signed in the summer and has impressed since, featuring 26 times and scoring four goals. So it is clear to see why the board have a tough choice to make…
With this excellent string of performances, comes interest from potentially bigger clubs.
Like Romano mentioned in his podcast, if the fee is around the £15 million mark, then should the board cash in now? Or would it be wise to wait, which could potentially see his price tag rise if he continues his form?
Either way, given the expected demand for the defender, it looks as if the board could be forced into action over settling Juranovic’s future.