Celtic tried and failed to bring Italian right-back Cristiano Piccini to the Scottish Premiership when he swapped Sporting Lisbon for Valencia instead.
With Celtic still on the lookout for a new right-back, according to the Daily Record, Brendan Rodgers might have been handed a chance to finally sign a player he was desperate to bring to Parkhead over the summer.
The Daily Record reports that Rodgers had made the Sporting Lisbon flyer Cristiano Piccino his top target over the summer. But the Hoops boss was forced to continue putting his faith in Mikael Lustig when the Italian moved to Valencia instead for £7 million.
Although all has not gone to plan for Piccini on the Castellon coast.
The 26-year-old has struggled with poor form and injuries since moving to La Liga and has even lost his place in the Valencia starting XI to Daniel Wass, a converted central midfielder.
As a result, Deportivo Valenciania believes that Piccini’s short-term future at the Mestalla is uncertain, with a loan exit in January a possibility.
And this will surely have Celtic on red alert, particularly as Lustig continues to look like a weak link, while both Cristian Gamboa and Tony Ralston find themselves well down the pecking order.
Hoops fans were certainly impressed by Piccini’s performance as Valencia drew 0-0 with Manchester United at Old Trafford in October.
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