Roberto Mancini’s Zenit St Petersburg look to strengthen defence ahead of knock-out tie in Glasgow.
Roberto Mancini is hoping to lure Rodrigo Caio from Sao Paolo for a fee of around £12m
Celtic’s Europa League round of 32 opponents Zenit St Petersburg are looking to bolster their defensive options by bringing in Brazilian international centre-back Rodrigo Caio.
Caio, 24, who currently plays for Sao Paolo in his native land has three Brazil caps to his name and was part of the squad that won Olympic gold at the 2016 Summer Games.
Rodrigo Caio (right) won a gold medal with his country at the 2016 Summer Olympic games
Just as Celtic did with Marvin Compper, Roberto Mancini has been given the cash to spend on a defender as the Russian Premier League side hope to secure Caio’s signature for a fee of £12million according to the Daily Record.
Having been playing his football in Brazil, Caio is not cup-tied like Compper, who has already played for RB Leipzig in Europe this season, and therefore would be eligible to line-up against Celtic when Mancini’s men travel to Glasgow to take on Brendan Rodgers’ treble winners next month.
Celtic’s January signing Marvin Compper leaps and scores with his head in a Bundesliga match vs Augsburg
At 24, Caio has already notched up over 250 appearances for Sao Paolo and would no doubt bring experience to a Zenit side looking to nullify the likes of Scott Sinclair, Leigh Griffiths and Moussa Dembele at Celtic Park in February.
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