Aaron Hickey has confirmed that there was interest in him from Celtic before he joined Bologna during the summer transfer window.
Celtic agreed a deal for the defender to join Hearts in May 2018 with the teenager ending his first season at Tynecastle playing against the hoops in the Scottish Cup Final.
Meanwhile Celtic signed Andrew Gutman, Boli Bolingoli, Greg Taylor and Diego Laxalt as they tried to find a replacement for Kieran Tierney while celebrating a £25m windfall from Arsenal.
Hickey made progress despite Hearts finishing last season with relegation to the Championship with a fee in the region of £1m from Bologna helping to cushion some of the financial pain.
Celtic are believed to have got a 30% cut on the transfer fee but were in touch about bringing Hickey back as they continue the search for a left back.
Covering an interview with Gazetta dello Sport, The Sun reports the former Jambo saying:
Bayern are a great club, but Bologna is massive, they are of a high level, I’m sure I have chosen a big club. The thing that most convinced me, when I came here to visit some time ago, is the family atmosphere I felt immediately. I immediately felt a good feeling. Did Manchester City also look for me? I would say no. Celtic? Yes.
Hickey has started seven of Bologna’s nine Serie A matches, playing a total of 596 minutes out of 630 according to Soccerway.
