Stefan de Vrij’s future could have implications for Celtic defender Jozo Simunovic given his previous links with Lazio.
Towards the end of the January transfer window, the Sunday Post reported that Lazio were keen on Celtic defender Jozo Simunovic, but were planning to delay any potential bids for the Bosnian until the summer.
That was because Stefan de Vrij remained with the Serie A giants during the window ahead of a potential summer exit, and now it appears that his departure at the end of the season is inevitable.
Lazio’s sporting director Igli Tare has told Sport Mediaset that the club have withdrawn their contract offer for the Netherlands international, and he now looks set to leave in the summer unless something dramatically changes.
That news may alert Celtic as it would seemingly suggest that Simunovic may well come back onto the Italian side’s radar at the end of the campaign.
Whether that is problematic or not for Brendan Rodgers is likely to divide opinion amongst the Celtic fanbase. Simunovic has been fairly poor lately and his previous battles with injury have made him difficult to rely on.
However, he was excellent in the Europa League win over Zenit St Petersburg last week, and Celtic’s centre-back options arguably already require bolstering in the summer with Dedryck Boyata similarly struggling for form, and Jack Hendry and Kristoffer Ajer ideally ones for the future.
But if Lazio do come calling and offer the Bhoys a very decent price for the 23-year-old, it may be difficult to argue that it is worth keeping the defender at Parkhead even if he is arguably Celtic’s best defender when he is at the top of his game.
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