Celtic are close to completing the signing of Croatian International Josip Juranovic from Legia Warsaw. The two clubs reached an agreement for the player on Tuesday evening and have agreed on a fee of £2.5 million, according to Sky Sports.
The appointment of Ange Postecoglou has certainly lifted the spirits of the Celtic supporters, with several new arrivals at Parkhead this summer. The Australian realized the need for reinforcements as soon as he joined and made his demands clear to the board.
The right-back position is a crucial one and the manager feels that his team needs a good cover for the role. Although Anthony Ralston has played well recently in that position, Postecoglou wants more backing in terms of quality and who could blame him.
Celtic identified Legia Warsaw full-back Josip Juranovic as the ideal candidate to boost their defensive options and the two clubs have already agreed on the transfer fee. The Croatian right-back will fly to Scotland this weekend to complete his move to Parkhead.
In a bid to challenge for trophies this season, the Hoops have upped their transfer game significantly. Josip Juranovic will be the eighth addition for Celtic this summer alongside the likes of Liam Shaw, Osaze Urhoghide, Liel Abada, Kyogo Furuhashi, Carl Starfelt, Joe Hart and James McCarthy.
The 26-year-old defender has 8 assists to his name alongside a goal for Legia Warsaw last campaign and also featured in Euro 2020 for Croatia. Essentially, Celtic are bringing in an experienced playmaking right-back who has all the attributes to shine at Parkhead.
Josip Juranovic can strike a ba! ?pic.twitter.com/vLCEYXG5A5
— Anthony Joseph (@AnthonyRJoseph) August 19, 2021
Although Postecoglou was reluctant to admit that Juranovic’s signing is a done deal, he acknowledged the player as one of the key targets. The Celtic boss said:
“He’d be one of a number of right full-backs we have been linked over the period”
“It’s obviously an area where we definitely need some cover. At the moment Anthony Ralston is doing an outstanding job and I think there’s more in him to improve. But he can’t play every game.”
On the other hand, Celtic have also done good business this summer in terms of outgoings. They have been able to generate total revenue of £31 million through player sales – Kristoffer Ajer, Jeremie Frimpong, Jack Hendry, Patry Klimala and Vakoun Bayo, all have filled the club’s pocket pretty well, which is again a commendable job, especially in such a tough market.
The manager also added that he is confident he will have more players in his squad soon. Speaking ahead of his team’s Europa League game against AZ Alkmaar, which they won 2-0, Postecoglou said:
“We are working on multiple targets in each position because, the way the market is at the moment, there’s no guarantee you’ll get anyone over the line.”
“I’m very confident we will have players in before the transfer deadline. It’s just a matter of timing and getting things done. It’s not as straightforward as it used to be,”
“We are very close to a few deals, I think. We just need to keep doing what we are doing, stay focused and disciplined, and make sure we get the right players in.”
Ange made his demands very clear to the club and so far, the club have also backed the manager in every way possible. Although the Hoops didn’t have the brightest of starts to the Scottish Premiership campaign, they seem to be picking up pace and by the looks of it, it does look promising.
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