Transfer plans appear to be ramping up at Celtic Park amid a dismal start to the Frenchman’s tenure
Cluj striker Louis Munteanu
Coy Louis Munteanu has offered a cryptic response to revived speculation he could leave Cluj in January. Celtic saw a summer bid booted out with the club holding out for a whopping £20million.
Sources in Romania credited the Scottish champions with an interest in the 23-year-old during the window and even went as far as to report that they saw a bid worth £6.9million turfed out by Cluj. Munteanu was also heavily linked with Valencia in La Liga and Rennes in Ligue 1 in the closing hours of the last transfer window.
With the club in the midst of financial difficulties, the club have stated they are ready to dropped the mega price tag placed on the Romania international by owner Ioan Varga. That has led to speculation that the Scottish champions could make a move again, while FC Nantes are also credited as an interested suitor.
New boss Wilfried Nancy is in dire need of more firepower with speculation surrounding the future of Daizen Maeda, while Kelechi Iheanacho suffered an injury in the Premier Sports Cup final defeat to St Mirren. That could leave Johnny Kenny as the only recognised striker at the club.
Speaking to Digi Sport, Munteanu addressed the recent speculation. He said: “It was like that in the summer and I still stayed here.
“I don’t know anything. I was away to all the teams in Europe and I still stayed here.”
But club president Iuliu Muresan has emphasised Cluj are looking to cash in on their talisman: “There are indeed major financial problems.
“The club is not doing too well in this regard and unfortunately the solution is to sell players. We are in a complicated situation, but I hope that Louis Munteanu will transfer to another club.
“We can take advantage of this and solve the problems. We will certainly not give Louis Munteanu for a small amount.”
One transfer move that looks to be inching closer is the departure of Hayato Inamura. The left-back only arrived in the summer but Nancy and the Parkhead decision-makers look ready to let the Japanese rookie leave.
Celtic’s Hayato Inamura turns heads
The 23-year-old arrived as a £250k summer signing from J1 league club Albirex Niigata, but then-boss Brendan Rodgers was quick to distance himself from the arrival branding the defender as a “club signing”.
He has made just one competitive appearance for the club against Livingston back in August. Sources in Japan claim that FC Tokyo are the frontrunners to sign the player on an initial loan deal with a purchase option, with several J1 League sides including Kawasaki Frontale also interested.
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