Celtic could soon get their hands on another Virgil van Dijk – as the Bhoys show interest in a defender who is more than comfortable in the final third.
The Netherlands international almost seemed to find Scottish football too easy during his two years at Celtic – scoring 15 goals in 115 appearances as he often waltzed through opponents.
Interestingly, the Liverpool No.4 has previously said he used to play as an attacker – which helped him become a better defender.
Now, Celtic hope to sign a player with a similar background…
Celtic want Flavius Daniliuc
A post from Florian Plettenburg of Sky Germany reveals that Celtic now want to sign Flavius Daniliuc.
The respected journalist wrote: “News. Flavius Daniliuc | Celtic Glasgow has a concrete interest in the 23-year-old centre-back. His contract with Salernitana runs until 2026.
“RB Salzburg would like to keep him but no final decision yet. Daniliuc is in the Austrian squad for the Euros.”
Daniliuc joined RB Salzburg on loan in January, and the Austrian side are in a strong position to sign the 23-year-old permanently after including an option to buy in the agreement.
However, Daniliuc could still decide against joining RB Salzburg on a permanent deal and move to Celtic – even if the Austrian Bundesliga outfit stump up the required cash.
The Austria international – who will be involved in UEFA EURO 2024 this summer – made 27 appearances in all competitions last season, providing three assists.
Salernitana paid €5m (£4m) to sign Daniliuc from OGC Nice.
Brendan Rodgers could sign Virgil van Dijk 2.0
As aforesaid, Daniliuc used to play as a forward before being moved into defence.
Jochen Sauer – who used to work with the Celtic target – told The Athletic: “He was more attacking, a No.10. He had very good technique.”
The attack minded defender has even previously revealed that he idolises Van Dijk and Sergio Ramos, telling OGC Nice’s official website: “Sergio Ramos and Virgil Van Dijk. They are two really talented players. One has played at Real Madrid for ten years. The other got to Liverpool through hard work and is now one of the best in the world.”
Daniliuc has certainly enjoyed a rich footballing education, having spent years being coached in both Real Madrid and Bayern Munich’s youth ranks before moving to OGC Nice in 2020.
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Now, the man from Vienna could take his talents to Glasgow – if Celtic can beat RB Salzburg to his signature.