Torino president Urbano Cairo is not ruling out a departure or two between now and the end of the transfer window. Celtic have been linked with a move for Torino midfielder Gvidas Gineitis as they look to replace Arne Engels this summer.
Engels left for EFL Championship West Ham on a league-record £22million dealm leaving a sizable hole in the Celtic midfield Mika Baur has been brought in over the last week, and it looks as though the Bhoys would like to snap up Hajduk Split star Niko Sigur, but they could yet sign a more expensive Engels replacement.
Gineitis has been heavily linked all summer, but it's a deal that would likely cost Celtic at least £12million, which may make the deal a little too pricey when accounting for the Hoops' need to address other areas of their squad before the window closes on September 3.
Cairo not ruling out Torino exits before the deadline
Speaking to La Gazzeta dello Sport about the possible departure of Alessio Cacciamani this sumer, Cairo said: “There’s a lot of interest in our players.
“We can’t just ignore calls; we have to listen, and we are listening. At the moment, we’ve rejected all offers made to us. I’ve said no to everyone. That’s what’s happened so far, and that’s what I’d like to continue until the end of the transfer window.”
But the Tornio chief then went on to add: "We still have a few things to do in the market, including some departures.
“How many more will we sign? It depends on who leaves; three or four new players could be the right number.”
It's likely Torino will move to try to keep Gineitis unless a particularly big offer comes in. The question will be whether Celtic look to replace Engels on the cheap, perhaps by committee in adding another two midfielders after the signing of Baur, or whether they make a marquee midfielder signing to properly replace the Belgian.
Only the latter makes the Gineitis signing feasible, with Celtic likely having to part ways for between £12million and £13million to convince Torino to sell. While the Bhoys have spent £11million on Kasper Hogh this summer, their model has typically been to sign players for cheaper, develop them and sell them. Then again, Engels was signed for a club-record fee of £11million, and Celtic still managed to double their money on the midfielder.
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