Rodgers shares transfer stance on Celtic defender amid January interest
By Will Butcher
Brendan Rodgers has no intention of selling Celtic defender Jozo Simunovic despite strong interest from Serie A outfit Torino.
The Scottish Sun claimed earlier this week that the 22-year-old was at the top of Torino’s January shortlist, which would see him team up with on-loan England ace Joe Hart.
However, speaking after Celtic’s 1-0 win over Partick Thistle on Tuesday night, Rodgers was quoted by ESPN as saying Simunovic is a part of his future plans.
“I think they have probably seen how well he’s been doing. He’s only a boy really at 22 years of age and developing very, very well,” Rodgers said.
“He’s got all the attributes and still has improvements to make of course, but if you’re a top club you would want someone like him. But he’s very much a part of what we’re building here.”
Simunovic was a summer target for the Italian outfit, and looked set to move to Torino before a deal fell through at the last minute.
Sinisa Mihaljlovic’s side are expected to re-enter the market in January for the Croatian defender though, as they look to test Celtic’s resolve once again.
After recovering from a long-term knee injury that prevented him from taking to the pitch earlier this season, Simunovic has become on of the first names on the team sheet alongside centre-back Erik Sviatchenko in recent months.
Simunovic was at the heart of the Hoops’ defence on Tuesday night as he kept his ninth clean sheet of the season in just 15 league and cup appearances, as Scott Sinclair’s strike earned Celtic a 1-0 win.
With Rodgers looking to keep his in-form defender, it remains to be seen if Torino will want to press ahead with their interest in Simunovic.
In other Celtic transfer news, the 47-time Champions have been handed a major boost in the pursuit of this Premier League striker.