Sky Sports reporter Anthony Joseph has claimed that it would take a ‘huge fee’ for Celtic to part ways with Josip Juranovic this summer.
Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano caused panic among Celtic supporters last month when he claimed that Juranovic was ‘expected’ to leave the club, with a number of suitors vying for his signature.
The right-back was only signed by the Hoops last summer for £2.5m, and made 35 appearances in all competitions in his first campaign in Glasgow, scoring five goals and creating another two.
However, Izak Ante Sucic of Croatian outlet Germanijak shot down the reports from Romano, insisting that the 26-year-old was ‘happy’ in Ange Postecoglou’s squad and didn’t want to ‘jeopardise’ his place in Croatia’s national team for the upcoming World Cup with a move away.
Joseph has reinforced those comments and insists that even if a bid comes, Celtic are in a commanding position when it comes to negotiations.
Speaking on Celtic Fans TV, he said:
Will Josip Juranovic be at Celtic next season?
Yes
No
“If that’s to happen, it would be a big fee. Celtic are in a very strong position with Juranovic; he’s got four years left on his contract.
“As far as I’m aware, he’s happy at Celtic and he was bought for what, a fee of £2.5m, was it? It would be a huge, huge fee.
“I’m talking perhaps £20m-plus, or around that figure, £20m – that’s my hunch.
“If a club comes in with a derisory bid, say even £10m, Celtic could easily reject that knowing that they’ll get a higher fee somewhere else.”
TIF Thoughts on Juranovic and Celtic…
The 20-cap Croatia ace has made a fast start to life at Parkhead and quickly became the side’s designated penalty taker, with former Scotland striker James McFadden hailing his Panenka spot-kick against Bayer Leverkusen as ‘sensational’.
He has certainly nailed down that starting right-back berth under Postecoglou and has shown his adaptability, quickly emerging as his country’s first-choice pick at left-back, which further highlights his quality and versatility.
Juranovic played the full 90 minutes there in the 1-0 wins over Denmark and France last month, and having rubbed shoulders and got the better of some of the finest footballers on the continent, he should prove to be a key man in Celtic’s Champions League outings next season.