Failed Celtic summer transfer target won't rule out future Parkhead move as door remains ajar
Serie A star was linked with a Celtic transfer in the summer
Celtic summer transfer target Gvidas Gineitis is still open to a future Hoops move despite talks falling through in the summer.
The 23-year old Torino midfielder was on the Hoops’ radar for the majority of the window, but it took until the latter stages for talks to accelerate. Gineitis was identified as a potential long term replacement for Arne Engels, who left for English giants West Ham for £22m in August. Celtic were hoping to bring in the Lithuania international before the market closed on September 3 but were unable to do so.
The Hoops reportedly disagreed with the Italian side on Gineitis’ fee. Torino were looking for around £13m for the playmaker, however Celtic were only willing to bid up to £9m. Instead, in a late window scramble, the Hoops enlisted PSV’ Joel van den Berg and Parma’s Oliver Sorenson on loan as midfield reinforcements. German international midfielder Mika Baur was also signed earlier in the window from Paderborn.
Gvidas open to future Celtic move
Celtic weren’t the only club interested in the midfielder, who looked destined for the Torino exit door throughout the window. Now on international duty, he told Lithuanian media outlet 15min that the door isn’t fully shut on a future Parkhead move.
Gineitis said: "It would be an interesting and good experience (a Celtic move), it's interesting to test myself at such a level, at such a club. But now I'm where I am. If the club (Torino) wanted to sell and another club wanted to buy, the question would be how much they would give me to play there. Of course, I would consider if it would help me and I wanted to leave... Everything would ultimately still depend on my decision."
When asked about transfer speculation across the board during the summer, he responded: "Whether you want to or not, you still think about all this a little bit. You understand that maybe something could happen, that something is happening. But I'm glad that I always manage to concentrate on the club I'm in.”
How has Gineitis started the 2026/27 Serie A campaign?
The Lithuania international registered an assist against Italian giants AC Milan in Torino’s opener but has since struggled to find form. Manager Ignazio Abate dropped him to the bench for their most recent clash before the international break against Bologna. Torino currently sit 14th in the Serie A after five matches played.
Abate had criticised Gineitis earlier in the season, but the midfielder maintains he’s doing everything in his power to turn his form around. He continued: “The coach has changed, the philosophy of the game has changed. We play with the ball more, we know what we have to do on the field, how to keep the ball in the middle. I think everything is really good with the current coach. Of course, I want to play better, do everything better. And that pressure from society... It will always be there. It will be there my whole life in football and I'm used to it."
(The Scottish Football Social Club is presented by BetSBK.com | 18+ | Gamble Responsibly)