Celtic transfer bid for defensive target is wide of the mark as top prospect reaches final decision on next destination
A club in Greece appear to have stolen a march on Celtic in their pursuit of a highly-rated defender
Celtic look set to miss out on defensive target Zinedin Smaljovic amid growing interest in the highly-rated Swedish centre-back.
It was reported on Sunday evening that the Scottish champions had a bid for the Sandefjord prospect ‘rejected’, but GlasgowWorld understands those claims are wide of the mark, with the player on the verge of signing for a different club.
22-year-old Smaljovic is one of several players on the Hoops summer transfer radar as veteran boss Martin O’Neill prepares to carry out some significant business both in and out of Parkhead.
Greek outlet Gazzetta.gr had suggested that an offer worth up to £3.5m had been lodged by Celtic, but that wasn’t the case. And it now appears Smaljovic will join Greek giants Olympiacos instead from the Norwegian outfit.
Valued at around £4.3m by Sandefjord, the former Lecce youngster plays in an area of the pitch that O’Neill is expected to prioritise during this window following Benjamin Arthur’s low-key return to Premier League side Brentford.
Celtic may look to bring in a number of defensive reinforcements, given long-term injuries to key players like Cameron Carter-Vickers and Alistair Johnston last season.
Smaljovic has only spent a year in the Eliteserien, but now looks ready to test himself on the European stage with Olympiakos, who finished runners-up behind AEK Athens in the Greek Super League.
Another name of interest to Celtic is KS Cracovia star Oskar Wojcik, who recently indicated that he is looking to take his career to the next level if the right opportunity presents itself.
His club in Poland have already hinted that they will look to cash in on the 22-year-old.
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