Clermont coach Pascal Gastien has admitted that the sale of Rangers and Celtic target Adrian Grbic is inevitable, speaking to 90Min.
Lyon are not the only club furious with the French Football Federation’s increasingly questionable decision to bring the 2019/20 season to a premature conclusion in March.
Clermont were well placed to secure promotion to Ligue 1 before the global health crisis emerged onto the scene. But, thanks to the LFP’s decree, the second-tier outfit have seen their hopes of top-flight football dashed.
Another year in Ligue 2 means that Grbic is all-but certain to go this summer, with TEAMtalk claiming that Rangers, Celtic, Crystal Palace and Brighton and Hove Albion are among his admirers.
A forward nicknamed the ‘new Juninho’ due to his remarkable ability from a dead-ball, Grbic scored 17 goals in 26 games during 2019/20.
And with those kind of numbers in his locker, Clermont know that their star man will not stick around forever.
“Obviously all coaches want to keep their best players, but we know that at some point we will sell him,” Gastien admits.
“I think he has the qualities and the talent to go straight into Ligue 1. Technically, he is very strong, especially his shooting technique which is his biggest asset.
“But he still has a big room for improvement. He’s a boy with his head on his shoulders, he knows what he wants.”
Whether he wants to play in Scotland, challenging for silverware while trying his hand in European competition, remains to be seen.
MaLigue2 reported that Clermont want around £9 million for their star man but the Ligue 2 outfit may have no choice but to accept a reduced fee with an ongoing financial crisis recalibrating the transfer market across the globe.
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