Chelsea are reportedly interested in signing Josip Juranovic. The Celtic full-back is preparing for a World Cup Semi-Final after he and his Croatian teammates dumped Brazil out on penalties yesterday. Despite the January window being a few weeks away yet, the rumours are flying with a number of teams linked with Juranovic.
According to our friends at Caught Offside, Chelsea are the latest team to show an interest in the 27-year-old.
Juranovic has three-and-a-half years on his deal at Celtic. This is a strong position to negotiate from as the club will look to maximise any fee that they receive for the defender. A figure has been touted around £15m and that is likely the starting point in terms of a fee.
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND – SEPTEMBER 06: Vinicius Junior of Real Madrid vies with Josip Juranovic of Celtic during the UEFA Champions League group F match between Celtic FC and Real Madrid at Celtic Park on September 06, 2022 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
Juranovic has played every minute at the World Cup and had a number of strong showings in the Champions League for Celtic. It seems inevitable that the player will move on in the next two windows as he looks to take the next step in his career, following the £2m move from the Polish club eighteen months ago.
Celtic have already signed Ally Johnston. The Canadian full-back joins for an undisclosed fee, believed to be £3m, and he is earmarked as Juranovic’s replacement. The 24-year-old will join up with the Scottish Champions in January but there is a chance that Juranovic will likely be subject to more transfer speculation before then. In an ideal world, Celtic retain JJ until after the game against Rangers at Ibrox.
