Hajduk Split have said that they will not sell Mario Vuskovic on the cheap, amidst interest from Celtic. The club are undergoing a huge overhaul this summer and defence is an area that requires immediate and extensive attention after repeated failings this season.
Vuskovic, 19, was reportedly the subject of a £4m bid but the Adriatic Costal club have insisted that they are not thinking about his future until the end of the season. As reported by the Sun, the club’s President Luksa Jakobusic played it cool when probed about interest in the player.
“I can neither confirm nor deny the recent reports about a bid for Mario.
“The player will only be sold if the deal represents good business sense for the club. We are no longer in a position where we have to sell players to survive.
“The club is in a much better position financially and we will look at Mario’s position at the end of the season.”
The Croatian U21 will only be sold if the club see the deal as a wise move from both a business and footballing point of view. The player, who has made 27 appearances this year, is being scouted by Serie A side Torino and Celtic will likely face more competition for his signature.
Celtic have poached a centre back from Croatia before, taking Jozo Šimunović to Glasgow from the Croatian capital of Zagreb. The Croatian defender joined from Dinamo Zagreb in 2015 following Virgil Van Dijk’s departure for Southampton. Šimunović will be remembered for that tackle on Kenny Miller in the 5-1 win at Ibrox in April 2017 and he left the club having won five Premiership titles and a number of trophies as well.
