Celtic can sign Kristijan Lovric without breaking the bank as Gorica are only demanding £4 million for the Croatia international, as reported by Tuttomercatoweb.
While Liel Abada has wasted little time trying to make the right-wing role his own under Ange Postecoglou, marking his Hoops debut with a well-taken goal in last week’s Champions League clash with Midtjylland, there is still a space free on the opposite flank for another new arrival.
With Moi Elyounoussi returning to Southampton at the end of last season, and with Mikey Johnston’s injury issues very much a cause for concern, Celtic appear to have made one of the most exciting forwards in Croatia their latest target in a summer chockfull of speculation.
Index.HR reported on Sunday that the Glasgow giants have shown a ‘great interest’ in Lovric, on the back of a superb 2020/21 campaign.
The 25-year-old produced 18 goals and seven assists as Gorica finished comfortably in mid-table.
Given those numbers, it should come as no surprise to learn that Celtic are not the only club keeping tabs on a player who is at his beguiling best when cutting inside onto his favoured right foot and curling inch-perfect shots into the top corner.
Will Celtic sign a player compared to Kylian Mbappe and Arjen Robben?
TMW reported recently that Lovric also has admirers in Italy, with Genoa keen.
It is understood that Gorica were demanding around £4 million at the time; an indication of how much Celtic would need to pay if they want to make Lovric the third Croatian player to wear those famous green and white hoops, after Jozo Simunovic and Filip Benkovic.
According to Index, Chinese outfit Henan FC made a £2.5 million bid for Lovric in January. Gorica rejected that bid, however, and also turned down an approach from Dinamo Zagreb.
“He dribbles and scores in the style of Robben, shoots like Pirlo or Pjanić , and knows how to sprint like Mbappe. It may be a little exaggerated to compare him to such players, but it can also be true,” Croatian football expert Damir Petravic once said of Lovric, via Sportske Novosti.
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