Josip Juranovic’s time at Celtic might be drawing to a close soon. There does feel like an inevitability about his potential exit, after the Croatian defender shined at the World Cup and was arguably the best right-back at the tournament by far. That has led to him being linked with some of the biggest clubs in Europe.
Rumours have suggested that Celtic will want at least a £17 million transfer fee to let Juranovic go, but judging by some of the clubs being linked with the right-back, that might not be a big issue for them.
Names like Chelsea, Manchester United, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur have cropped up as potential destinations for Juranovic.
Now, it remains to be seen what the future holds for the Croatian, who will be returning to Glasgow with a bronze World Cup medal in his briefcase. Chelsea’s rumoured interest in the player does seem genuine though. In fact, it looks like the Blues wanted him in the summer as well. As reported by GIVEMESPORT, journalist Simon Phillips said about the situation:
"“The right-back that I know Chelsea are still considering looking at is Juranovic from Croatia, the Celtic full-back. He’s definitely on Chelsea’s radar; he has been since the summer.“Chelsea had an inquiry from Celtic at the time about Ross Barkley, and they were considering doing some kind of deal there with Juranovic going in the opposite direction.”"
Journalist makes Juranovic to Chelsea claim amid Celtic exit rumours
It is not hard to understand why Chelsea might be interested in another right-back at the moment. The club have a world-class option there in Reece James, and the Englishman is brilliant. But he also seems to be injury prone.
As a result, Chelsea could do with a cover option for James and someone like Juranovic is more than good enough. Would the Croatian be interested in a back up role though?
At the same time, it must also be pointed out that Celtic have recently signed a right-back in Alistair Johnston, which could very well be a sign that they are preparing to let go of Juranovic in the near future, whether it be in January or next summer.