Celtic's Josip Juranovic is closing in on move to Serie A side Monza

Celtic’s Josip Juranovic is closing in on move to Serie A side Monza, with the Chelsea target edging towards a £7m switch after impressing at the World Cup with Croatia

  • Josip Juranovic impressed at the World Cup as Croatia finished third in Qatar
  • The fullback is now closing in on a move to Serie A side Monza for £7 million
  • He fell out of favour at Celtic before the World Cup but is also wanted by Chelsea
  • Giorgos Giakoumakis could be on the move after interest from Urawa Reds

Celtic’s Josip Juranovic is edging closer to a £7million move to Serie A new boys Monza.

And the Parkhead club have lodged a £2.7m bid for South Korean World Cup star Cho Gue-sung after J-League outfit Urawa Reds opened negotiations over a shock move for Giorgos Giakoumakis.

Both Juranovic and Giakoumakis turned down improved contract offers from Celtic before Christmas. And the Croatia World Cup defender is keen to join Monza – owned by former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi — on loan with a deferred £7m fee agreed for the summer.

Celtic fullback Josip Juranovic is closing in on a £7 million move to Serie A club Monza

The 27-year-old (left) impressed with Croatia during their recent World Cup campaign

The right back’s representatives held talks in Milan at the end of last week. Now Monza chief Adriano Galliani is keen to cut a deal with Celtic in the coming days. Reports in Japan, meanwhile, state that Urawa — bankrolled by Mitsubishi — are in discussions with Celtic over a transfer fee, with ‘negotiations progressing well’.

Currently earning £11,000 a week in Glasgow, Giakoumakis is frustrated by both his salary and his lack of game time.

Linked with Denmark’s FC Midtjylland last week, big-spending Urawa want the Greek and Brazilian Thiago Santana to beef up their attacking options.

Giakoumakis last scored for Celtic in October, but hit the woodwork twice after appearing as a substitute in a 2-0 win over Kilmarnock.

Juranovic’s impressive international form attracted interest from the likes of Chelsea

Ange Postecoglou swerved speculation over the striker’s future, saying: ‘I just deal with what’s in front of me. Giako has been working hard but Kyogo is in great form, scoring every week. So he’s having to come on and make a contribution — and he hasn’t flinched from that.’

Celtic have identified South Korean World Cup striker Cho as the player they want to replace Giakoumakis.

Former Manchester United star Park Ji-Sung is handling negotiations on behalf of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, with the Scottish champions prepared to pay close to £3m to get their man.

Reports in Germany say Mainz have cooled their interest in the striker after concerns over the financial package.




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