Celtic’s Ambitious £6m Serie A Bid

Celtic have made their move for Fares Ghedjemis, but it hasn’t been enough to persuade Frosinone to sell.

Late on Sunday evening, Sky Sports journalist Luca Bendoni reported that Celtic had submitted a proposal for the 23-year-old winger. According to Bendoni, the Italian club rejected the offer as they still see Ghedjemis as a player they want to build around ahead of their return to Serie A.

Celtic’s opening offer was in the region of £6 million, but Frosinone knocked it back.

Ghedjemis remains a player Celtic are prepared to spend serious money on after first trying to bring him to Glasgow earlier this year.

The Hoops explored a deal during the January transfer window, but Frosinone had no intention of letting one of their best players leave while they were chasing promotion. That decision paid off. Ghedjemis played a big part in their successful campaign, scoring 15 goals as the club secured a return to Italy’s top flight.

Promotion has only strengthened Frosinone’s hand.

From their point of view, there is little reason to cash in unless an offer arrives that is simply too good to refuse. They see Ghedjemis as one of the faces of their Serie A campaign, which explains why Celtic’s first bid has been turned away without much hesitation.

Martin O’Neill has already confirmed the club’s interest in recent days, admitting Celtic had previously come close to signing the Algerian international. Those comments made it clear the player hadn’t disappeared from the club’s shortlist, and Bendoni’s latest update shows that interest has now been backed up with a formal offer.

Celtsarehere also understands the deal for Mika Baur is very much live with the Hoops hoping to bring the midfielder in from Paderborn.

There is still plenty of time left in the transfer window, and we know this Celtic board are masters at drawing out deals to the bitter end.

With the Premiership season getting underway against Dundee on Monday night, transfer business will continue in the background. Kasper Høgh and Camilo Duran have arrived, but there is still clearly much more that needs to be done.

Frosinone have made their position clear. Celtic have made the first move. If Ghedjemis is the winger they truly want, the next offer will have to be bigger. Do Celtic have the stomach for it?