Celtic will not give up on signing key midfielder target Gvidas Gineitis despite missing out on a deal this week. The Bhoys were linked with Gineitis throughout the summer, and they had an early offer of around £6.5million rejected.
Torino wanted much more, around £9million, though reports suggest they were ultimately willing to accept around £8.5million. Celtic held positive talks in the two days leading up to Wednesday night's 11pm UEFA squad registration deadline, which was effectively their deadline, but the deal ultimately collapsed just before the window.
That was a significant blow for the Hoops, who were hoping to properly replace Arne Engels, who lost on £22million. The Hoops have replaced Engels in terms of bodies, signing Joel van den Berg and Oliver Sorensen.
Both may well be good signings, but in terms of talent and experience, they are not Engels. The Bhoyus will likely got on fine in the Premiership, even without that replacement, but the lack of quality is likely to show in the Europa League.
Perhaps for that reason, Celtic remain interested in Gineitis, with the Daily Record reporting that they still plan to sign Gineiits, hoping to return with a fresh offer in the winter transfer window.
At that point, Celtic will want to have progressed to the next phase of the Europa League, whether that's the knockouts or the knockout playoffs. If they can manage that, Gineitis would be a fine signing for that next phase.
The Bhoys do have the money, too. The majority of their late signings were either cheap or on loan, so that Engels money largely remains untouched. Progression through the Europa League phase will also bag them some decent prize money.
Noises from Turin also suggest Torino are willing to sell Gineitis for the right price, so it's a deal that could well remain on the table.
As for why Celtic did not get the Gineitis deal done this summer, it should come as no surprise. To many, it may be baffling that the club didn't pay the likely £500,000 or so that stood between them and a deal, especially with the £22million they brought in for Engels.
But that's just not how they do business. Celtic have been extremely careful with their spending all summer, even for cheaper deals like Mika Baur, and they simply refuse to pay more than what they feel a player is worth.
One could ask whether their needs should outweigh their money-saving at times, but they remain committed to their financial approach.
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