The winger Celtic could have signed for £6.5m in January is now attracting Bundesliga, Serie A and Ligue 1 interest at a reported starting price of €20m.
Borussia Dortmund have joined the race for Frosinone winger Fares Ghedjemis, with AS Monaco, Lazio and Atalanta also now monitoring the 23-year-old – a significant escalation of a pursuit that Celtic had largely to themselves just six months ago.
According to 67 Hail Hail, citing German outlet Fussball Europa via Inside Futbol, Ghedjemis has caught the eye of several top-five-league clubs during the World Cup, with Frosinone’s asking price now reported to have risen to a starting point of around €20m – roughly double or triple the figures being discussed when Celtic were in active negotiations in January.
Here’s the thing: we had this deal close to done. Multiple Italian and Scottish sources reported an agreement in principle on personal terms, with Ghedjemis’ wages set to quadruple in Glasgow. What stood between Celtic and the signing was the gap between our bid – understood to be in the region of £6.5m – and Frosinone’s asking price, which Italian sources placed at €7.5–8m as a workable figure. That’s not an enormous chasm. We chose not to bridge it.
Frosinone coach Massimiliano Alvini publicly expressed confidence during the January window that his player would stay, which in hindsight reads less as a negotiating posture and more as a straightforward assessment of where Celtic’s offer stood. Journalist Scott Burns relayed that Italian sources remained hopeful of a resolution right up to the final days – but the fee never materialised, and Ghedjemis remained in Serie B.
Now, with World Cup performances apparently sharpening the market’s attention, the same player who was available for under €8m is being valued at €20m and rising. Dortmund operate at a level where that figure is a routine mid-table transfer. For us, it represents a ceiling we have never come close to testing.
The timing is particularly pointed given the pressure on Martin O’Neill’s incoming regime to strengthen the squad decisively, and the concerns already being raised about recruitment ahead of the Champions League qualifiers. Ghedjemis was exactly the kind of direct, high-energy wide player the squad needs. We identified him, agreed terms with him, and then watched the opportunity expire.
Whether Celtic return with a significantly inflated offer will depend almost entirely on what comes in through outgoings this summer. If the boardroom arithmetic doesn’t change, Dortmund and their Bundesliga budget will simply walk past us in the queue. It wouldn’t be the first time.
Mon The Hoops.