Celtic target ‘Klopp wanted’ at Liverpool moves to Poland in bargain deal

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One-time Liverpool target Jani Atanasov is now plying his trade in Poland after attracting interest from Scottish Premiership champions Celtic in 2022, as reported by Cracovia PL. 

After initially showing an interest in the North Macedonia international last summer – Sky Sports reporting that Atanasov had caught Ange Postecoglou’s eye – Celtic settled instead on Oliver Abildgaard. 

A decision which, over time, aged about as well as the CGI in Paul Anderson’s Resident Evil. Abildgaard played only 67 minutes of league football under Ange Postecoglou, and saw his loan spell cut deal in January. 

Atanasov, another six foot-something defensive midfielder, would endure a difficult few months himself. The 23-year-old lost his place in the Hajduk Split XI; jumping at the opportunity to sign a three-and-a-half year deal with MKS Cracovia. 

It’s not Celtic, nor Liverpool for that matter. But Atanasov, after half a season wasted, just need a club where he could get his career back on track.

Celtic and Liverpool once wanted Jani Atanasov

According to Gol24, a side sitting sixth in the Polish Ekstraklasa table showed the most interest; Celtic opting against picking the phone again even after Abildgaard packed his bags and headed to Italy with Hellas Verona. 

Cracovia reportedly paid a bargain fee of around £250,000. Far less than Celtic would presumably have been quoted around six months earlier, when Atanasov was still a key player at Hajduk Split. His rapidly-expiring contract, meanwhile, was also a major factor in his eventual cut-price departure.  

It remains to be seen whether Atanasov ever fulfils the potential that once had Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp hot on his heels, looking to take the youngster to Anfield during his time at Turkish outfit Bursaspor. 

“Atanasov was kind of the club’s project transfer,” scout Oguzhan Oguz tells Goal. 

“He also had serious suitors. I can even share an anecdote about him. While watching the U18 European Championship in Finland, we ran into Liverpool’s scout. He asked me if we had signed Atanasov. During our conversation, he said that Jurgen Klopp also wanted the player very much.”