‘Keen to cut a deal with Celtic’ ‘negotiations progressing well’ McGowan’s Celtic transfer latest

Josip Juranovic and Giorgos Giakoumakis are both closing in on the their exits from Celtic according to Stephen McGowan.

The Daily Mail reporter has a long track record of being the closest reporter to the action inside Celtic Park, especially transfer news.

Last month he was first to report on Celtic’s interest in Tomoki Iwata with the midfielder introduced to fans at half-time in the 2-0 win over Kilmarnock.

Giakoumakis came on as a substitute against Derek McInnes’ side with Juranovic left on the bench. Both players signed five year contracts in August 2021 but it looks like they will be on the move this month.

The Daily Mail reports:

Celtic’s Josip Juranovic is edging closer to a £7million move to Serie A new boys Monza.

And the Parkhead club have lodged a £2.7m bid for South Korean World Cup star Cho Gue-sung after J-League outfit Urawa Reds opened negotiations over a shock move for Giorgos Giakoumakis.

Both Juranovic and Giakoumakis turned down improved contract offers from Celtic before Christmas. And the Croatia World Cup defender is keen to join Monza – owned by former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi — on loan with a deferred £7m fee agreed for the summer.

The right back’s representatives held talks in Milan at the end of last week. Now Monza chief Adriano Galliani is keen to cut a deal with Celtic in the coming days. Reports in Japan, meanwhile, state that Urawa — bankrolled by Mitsubishi — are in discussions with Celtic over a transfer fee, with ‘negotiations progressing well’.

Linked with Denmark’s FC Midtjylland last week, big-spending Urawa want the Greek and Brazilian Thiago Santana to beef up their attacking options.

Giakoumakis last scored for Celtic in October, but hit the woodwork twice after appearing as a substitute in a 2-0 win over Kilmarnock.

Ange Postecoglou swerved speculation over the striker’s future, saying: ‘I just deal with what’s in front of me. Giako has been working hard but Kyogo is in great form, scoring every week. So he’s having to come on and make a contribution — and he hasn’t flinched from that.’

Celtic have identified South Korean World Cup striker Cho as the player they want to replace Giakoumakis.

Former Manchester United star Park Ji-Sung is handling negotiations on behalf of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, with the Scottish champions prepared to pay close to £3m to get their man.

Reports in Germany say Mainz have cooled their interest in the striker after concerns over the financial package.

It is a big call for Celtic to sign two big hitters from last season’s title during the January transfer window.

Tony Ralston and Alistair Johnston offer instant cover for Juranovic but despite not scoring since October Giakoumakis was Celtic’s top scorer in 2022 with 24 goals in all competitions.