Celtic transfers: Monza closing in on Josip Juranovic, 'new bid' for Cho, fresh interest in Stephen Welsh

Josip Juranovic is nearing an exit from Celtic, with Monza his likely destination, according to reports.

The 27-year-old right-back has been in demand following an excellent World Cup with Croatia. La Liga heavyweights Atletico Madrid and Barcelona were heavily linked with Juranovic last month, as well as English Premier League side Chelsea, but it is the Italian club who are in pole position to land him. The Scottish Daily Mail reports that the defender is keen on a move to I Brianzoli, whose owner is former president of Italy Silvio Berlusconi, with a loan deal and a obligation to buy in the summer transfer window set to be brokered with Celtic. Negotiations between all parties will continue in the coming days as Monza are looking to strengthen their squad heavily under manager Raffaele Palladino for the second half of the season.

Celtic are also hoping to land South Korean striker Cho Gue-sung. They have reportedly lodged a bid of £2.7million to Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors but do face competition for his signature. The move for Cho, who scored twice for his country at the World Cup, has come about because Giorgos Giakoumakis is likely to depart Celtic Park, with Urawa Red Dragons in Japan his most likely destination. The Greek forward, signed from VVV Venlo 18 months ago, is dissatisfied with his current contract and salary levels and is expected to land a big-money deal in the J-League. Despite a good scoring record for the defending cinch Premiership champions, Giakoumakis currently plays second fiddle to Kyogo Furuhashi and the guarantee of regular first-team football with the Saitama-based club is also appealing to him.

Meanwhile, The Scotsman has learned that Croatian outfit Hajduk Split are monitoring Stephen Welsh’s situation at Celtic. The 22-year-old centre-half has found game-time limited under Ange Postecoglou this season and faces stiff competition against regular pairing Cameron Carter-Vickers and Carl Starfelt, as well as Moritz Jenz and recent acquisition Yuki Kobayashi. Welsh has also been linked with a move to Udinese, although the Italians are understood to be more keen on brokering a deal for Hibs’ Ryan Porteous, whose contract expires in the summer. Celtic would command a sizeable fee for Welsh as he tied to the club until 2025.