Louis Munteanu bid blows Celtic out the water as Brendan Rodgers reveals reason for two transfer blocks
Celtic's hopes of landing Louis Munteanu have suffered another setback - with the CFR Cluj star said to be on the brink of a move to La Liga.
The Romania striker is said to be on Brendan Rodgers' radar, with the Hoops reportedly seeing a £6.9million bid thrown out earlier this summer.
Munteanu is also wanted by Ligue 1 side Rennes, who are on the hunt for a forward after selling Arnaud Kalimuendo to Nottingham Forest.
And now Fanatik now claim Valencia in Spain have launched a bid to bring the player to the Mestalla.
They report that a loan offer worth £.17million has been submitted, with the Munteau then joining the La Liga club permanently next summer for £8.6million.
As well as Munteanu, Celtic have been linked with Leicester City legend Jamie Vardy, who is a free agent after ending his memorable spell with the Tigers at the end of last season.
Rodgers previously worked with the ex England international during his tenure at the King Power Stadium but has refused to comment on Celts' interest in the 38-year-old.
The Irishman has however confirmed that loan rules have held up the Parkhead exits of duo Stephen Welsh and Marco Tilio.
Defender Welsh is a target for Plymouth Argyle while Rapid Vienna are keen on Aussie Tilio.
Rodgers said: "What makes it difficult is that there's selling a player and loaning a player.
"And obviously we only have a certain amount of loans.
'So there's six loans internationally that the boys can go out. So then you then have to look at it. Who is to go out? And sometimes clubs will offer to buy a player and they'll offer to loan a player.
"So we have to make sure that it is the right loan.
"And the two boys that you mentioned have been great and they've had opportunities to move on and I hope for them that they get the chance to do that.
"But there's a little bit more behind the scenes that needs to happen for that to take place.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Rhyl Journal
3 hours ago
- Rhyl Journal
Brendan Rodgers refuses to comment on Jamie Vardy to Celtic rumours
Celtic have until 11pm on Tuesday night to make up to two amendments to their European squad before hosting Kairat Almaty in the first leg on Wednesday. But Rodgers looks like he will need to continue waiting for the new attacking options he has been looking for. When asked if he now expected to go with the players who are already in the building, Rodgers said: 'That's what I am feeling at this moment in time. The players that we have will be the players that I trust that can do the job. 'If we can get some players in before then, that would be amazing but the focus has been very much on what is here at this moment.' Reports on Monday claimed that 38-year-old striker Vardy had his heart set on a move to Celtic Park after leaving Leicester at the end of last season. 'Listen, I would not speak about any individual player,' said Rodgers. 'Of course I worked really well with Jamie, he was brilliant for me in my time at Leicester. But there's been so many names floated about. I wouldn't disclose either way.'
Press and Journal
4 hours ago
- Press and Journal
Richard Gordon: Aberdeen's defeat at Tynecastle highlighted the need to bolster the squad before transfer window closes
The Dons' Premiership campaign got off to a sluggish and unconvincing start at Tynecastle, and they could have no complaints about heading back up the road pointless. Hearts were the more aggressive, more determined side right from the off, dominated the first half, and despite a brief mini-revival after the interval, the home were deserved winners. They had clearly benefitted from playing four Premier Sports Cup group matches and looked so much sharper throughout, while Aberdeen appeared undercooked after a pre-season which included just three warm-up matches. That might have been a mistake given how much more ready Derek McInnes' men were, but even another couple of friendlies might not have helped; there is no substitute for competitive action, and with the later start in Europe, there was no way round that for Jimmy Thelin. There was much focus on Kusini Yengi, naturally so given the two gilt-edged chances he spurned, and for the most part he looked like a striker who hasn't scored a club goal since April 2024. The Aussie is clearly bereft of confidence, and needs time to settle into his new surroundings, but he will not get a whole lot of that, because the Dons need someone capable of finding the back of the net now; they do not have the luxury of waiting a few months. While there have been success stories in recent times – Bojan Miovski and, eventually, Kevin Nisbet – too much money has been splashed out on forwards, some of whom are still at the club, who look anything but regular goalscorers. It is too early to make any real judgement on Yengi, but he looked less than convincing on his first proper outing, and has some work to do if he is to become Aberdeen's go-to centre-forward. There has been much talk about Marko Lazetic, who seems to be highly-rated, but remains largely unproven, and has no real track record as a goalscorer. That potential deal seems to have stalled, so it might well be that the Dons have to look elsewhere. They will need to act fast. As well as Hearts, Hibernian have started impressively and recorded a notable win in Europe; the opposition look in fine fettle at this stage. The first weekend left Aberdeen bottom of the table, the defeat following on from four straight losses to finish off the 2024-25 league season, and it extended the largely dismal run stretching back to last November. Given that, the visit of the champions is probably the last fixture they would have wanted, and while Celtic were nowhere near their scintillating best in the win over St Mirren, they will travel north, as they always do, in full expectation of securing the three points. While they have picked up a few draws along the way, not since February 2016 has there been a Dons victory at Pittodrie in this fixture. This would be the perfect time to end that run, but the performance will have to be considerably better than we saw at Tynecastle if they are to even give themselves a chance of doing so. Aberdeen were sanctioned by the SPFL this week after being held responsible for the actions of a group of fans who continue to put lives at risk with the senseless use of pyrotechnics and flares. For now, the punishment has been suspended, but if there is any repeat, the Merkland Stand will be partially closed. The Red Shed has been a welcome addition to the atmosphere at Pittodrie, generating colour and noise, but certain supporters seem to feel they are untouchable, above the law, and unless they rein in their behaviour, their actions could have serious repercussions. The Dons are by no means the only club affected; plenty others have been targeted by the authorities as a result of the mindless behaviour of some of their fans. It is a trend which has gathered pace in recent years, and it is going to have to be stopped. If it continues, someone is going to be seriously injured, or worse. I would hope the supporters in question come to their senses and eventually realise that.
Press and Journal
4 hours ago
- Press and Journal
Joe Harper: Wrong to make Kusini Yengi the Aberdeen fall guy for Hearts defeat
The focus on Kusini Yengi following Aberdeen's 2-0 defeat at Hearts is letting the rest of the Dons players off the hook. The Australian striker has been painted as the fall guy for Aberdeen's defeat at Tynecastle on Monday and I don't think it's fair that he is left to shoulder the blame. It was a tough night for Yengi. Yes, he should have scored, and I had hoped to see him more involved in the game. When a ball comes into the box you have to believe it's coming your way, and you have to be on your toes anticipating it at all times. Maybe some nerves were at play but there shouldn't be in Yengi's case. He's an international player in his mid-20s. But it's far too easy to point the finger at the Dons striker because he didn't take his chances. The Dons' problems ran far deeper than a couple of squandered opportunities. The bigger issue was how timid the team was. In last week's column I talked about the need for aggression at Hearts. We all knew what was lying in store for Aberdeen in Edinburgh but it seems too many players just weren't at the races. Derek McInnes' side bullied the Dons into submission. They were first to every ball and showed a greater desire to win it and start another attack against a timid, meek Aberdeen side. It was the first game of the season but I do question whether Aberdeen are an easy touch at times. They have some good technical players who can hurt teams but you need the steel to go with the silk and there wasn't much of that on show from the visitors at Tynecastle. I'm not buying this 'Dons were undercooked' narrative though. It was brave of boss Jimmy Thelin to take two really tough pre-season games against Fulham and Ipswich Town. They are two good sides who play at a high level in England and I have no doubt the Aberdeen squad had to put in a shift in both games. That's why I can't accept the players were not prepared for Tynecastle. They just didn't perform. I want to see a response when Celtic visit Pittodrie on Sunday. It will be a game where the visitors have more possession but it's up to Aberdeen to close the gap by grafting. Take a leaf out of the Jambos' playbook. Hustle, hassle and harry the opposition every chance you can get. Force errors and turnovers, and get the ball into areas where you can hurt the Hoops quickly. If they can do that it's up to Yengi to show Monday was a poor debut and nothing more. Dons fans are a supportive bunch and if you put in the hard yards in games and chip in with some goals they'll get behind you. I'm certainly not ready to write the big man off after one game. If we were judging players on the back of what we saw at Tynecastle the manager would be toiling to pick a team for the Celtic game. For those who do get a chance to make amends, what a stage they have at a packed Pittodrie this weekend. As for Yengi, if he can get off the mark and play his part on Sunday against Celtic then he'll soon have the support singing his name. Slobodan Rubezic has done little to show he should be back in the fold after being sent off for an Aberdeen XI at Fraserburgh on Wednesday. The central defender has been out of the picture since returning from his loan at Novi Pazar in the second half of last season. I am sure the big man had hoped to return from Serbia ready to fight for his place in Jimmy Thelin's squad just as Pape Habib Gueye did from his loan spell at Kristiansund in Norway last year. But, having failed to make the squad for Monday's defeat by Hearts, Rubezic was given the chance to show what he can do at Bellslea in Wednesday's Aberdeenshire Cup tie, he lasted just 32 minutes. A desperate foul on Broch striker Scott Barbour as he ran clear on goal earned Rubezic an early bath. Dons boss Jimmy Thelin will be pleased Nicky Devlin, Alfie Dorrington, Gavin Molloy, Kjartan Mar Kjartansson, Ester Sokler and Peter Ambrose all got 45 minutes of competitive action under their belts in the 2-0 win at the Broch. Trust and reliability is important in this game, but Ruby has blotted his copybook again. Good luck to Hearts in their bid to win the Scottish Premiership title – but something tells me they've got a long road ahead. Investor Tony Bloom has been talking up the Jambos, saying he'll be disappointed if the club does not win the Scottish Premiership title at least once in the next 10 years. Given it has been 40 years since anyone other than Celtic or Rangers won the title it's asking a lot. Splitting the big two is the first challenge and I don't see them doing that anytime soon, never mind winning the title.
