Celtic had an eventful transfer window to say the least and must be happy coming out of it, with how things have turned out for them. While the club have been able to sign four very promising players, there have been some exits as well, which could end up having an impact on Ange Postecoglou’s squad.
The most high profile of them is clearly the one of Josip Juranovic. The Croatian right-back had been a starter for Celtic ever since he arrived from Legia Warsaw about 18 months back. But following a stunning World Cup campaign, it became almost inevitable that he would be on the move.
He ended up joining Union Berlin, who are putting up an unlikely Bundesliga title challenge this season. Still not many saw the move coming, especially with Juranovic being linked with the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea, Barcelona and several others.
It looks like Manchester United were very interested in the move as well, but ultimately, did not end up making it. Fabrizio Romano’s Daily Briefing on Caught Offside’s Substack goes on to read:
"The second transfer secret is about Manchester United – we know they were looking for a new right-back, and that Aaron Wan-Bissaka could have left because he had a difficult first half of the season. But then he played well in January and United decided to invest in Wout Weghorst and Marcel Sabitzer instead.Still, United had a right-back in mind in case Wan-Bissaka was going to leave, and that right-back was Josip Juranovic – the Croatian who moved from Celtic to Union Berlin. He was their preference to come in as backup right-back, behind Diogo Dalot, who remains the owner of the right flank at the club. The United board discussed Juranovic, but they decided to keep Wan-Bissaka and so the deal collapsed and he instead decided to accept the approach from Union Berlin. Still, he was a concrete opportunity."
Why Manchester United’s move for Celtic player collapsed in January
It is safe to say that Juranovic proved at the World Cup that he can play at the very highest level and could have done a job for Manchester United as well.
But it looks like the Red Devils have other priorities and he ended up at Union Berlin instead, which is a good move for him as well to be very honest.
With the way things are going, it is very possible that they could put up a genuine Bundesliga title challenge this season, if they are able to hold up their form. At the moment, they sit at second in the table and are just a point behind Bayern Munich.