Celtic has confirmed it will not secure Torino midfielder Gvidas Gineitis, its final transfer target, after the Italian club rejected a deadline day offer. The Scottish side had been in lengthy negotiations for the Lithuanian international.
Sources indicate Celtic proposed an initial fee of £8 million, potentially rising to £10 million, but Torino demanded £10 million upfront for the player. This valuation difference ultimately ended the pursuit.
Despite the setback in acquiring Gineitis, Celtic has been active in the transfer window, bringing in a total of ten new players. Among the recent arrivals are goalkeeper Sam Johnstone on a season-long loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea's teenage striker Shim Mheuka, also on loan. Left-back Landon Emenalo also joined from Chelsea for the season, while Swiss right-back Jordan Lotomba arrived from Feyenoord on a temporary deal.
The club also finalized a four-year contract for Joel van den Berg from PSV Eindhoven for £3.5 million. Earlier in the week, Danish midfielder Oliver Sorensen agreed to a one-year loan from Parma.
These signings add to the four players recruited earlier in the summer: Camilo Duran, Kasper Hogh, Haissem Hassan, and Mika Baur, who were acquired for a combined £30 million. The club has also seen several players depart, with Reo Hatate moving to Burnley and Johnny Kenny signing for Preston. Arne Engels joined West Ham and Daizen Maeda moved to Ipswich.
Manager Martin O’Neill expressed confidence in the squad's strength to compete across all fronts. However, Emenalo, Mheuka, and Van den Berg will not be part of Celtic's squad for the Europa League group stages. The club had to submit a 25-man roster, including seven homegrown players, to UEFA by the deadline.
Duran, Baur, Hassan, Hogh, Sorensen, Lotomba, and Johnstone are included in the Europa League squad, but three other new signings did not make the cut. O'Neill acknowledged the difficulty in selecting the squad, stating the primary focus remains on domestic competition. He added that the club aims to perform well in the Europa League and may adjust the squad in February if still in contention.
Goalkeeper Sam Johnstone has set his sights on securing the starting position, aiming to succeed former Celtic goalkeepers Fraser Forster and Joe Hart. Johnstone, who was on the bench for the recent match against Aberdeen, stated his intention to compete for game time during his spell in Scotland. He emphasized the importance of competition and mutual support among the goalkeeping team.