Celtic fans are in a state of worry tonight after it was reported by top football transfer expert Fabrizio Romano that Croatian international right back Josip Juranovic “Is expected to leave Celtic this summer”.
This news has come out of the blue and the information is vague, with Romano mentioning interest from the EPL, without going into any detail on what clubs are interested or the type if fee Celtic would be looking for.
This news refreshed Juranovic’s comments in my mind that he made after Croatia’s game against France, where a journalist asked him about potentially moving on this summer.
Here is what Juranovic is quoted as saying from the Daily Record:
“I enjoy Celtic. I had a break due to injury for six and a half weeks, but I’m fine now.”
“I won the title with Celtic and I can’t feel better than I do.”
“I started my career, I won the championship in Poland and now in Scotland and I can’t wait to get back to Glasgow again for the new season. It is great for me at Celtic.”
He was then asked if he would be looking for a “new step” this summer and a third championship in a different country.
Speaking to 24Sata , he laughed: “We’ll see, it’s not up to me! I’m happy at Celtic.”
That last line worried me at the time of reading it, but the Scottish press didn’t report on his comments in a negative fashion, they reported it as he wanted to stay at Celtic.
In hindsight I should have maybe listened to my gut, and wrote about my worry of those last comments, but I probably would have been accused of trying to sell our players or writing negative stories out of nothing if I had done.
Of course he is happy at Celtic, it’s written all over his face, he clearly loves it here, but he is a world class player who will quite rightly have ambitions to play at the very highest level, and by that I mean competing for the Champions League, because he absolutely has the quality to move to a top 4 club in England.
“We’ll see, it’s not up to me!”
I’ve got to be honest, that sounds like a player who would quite happily move on this summer if the right club came in for him and the offer was good for the club.
I would be gutted to see him go and so soon, but I am confident the club and Ange will make the right decisions if big offers are received.
