Celtic manager Martin O’Neill has admitted the club held a firm interest in Torino midfielder Gvidas Gineitis before their late-window pursuit ultimately fell short.
Celtic were among the busiest sides in the closing stages of the summer market, completing six signings across the final 48 hours as O’Neill reshaped his squad.
Sam Johnstone, Landon Emenalo, Shim Mheuka, Joel van den Berg and Jordan Lotomba all arrived on Wednesday, following Tuesday’s move for Oliver Sorensen. Camilo Duran, Kasper Hogh, Haissem Hassan and Mika Baur had already joined earlier in the summer.
Celtic spent £35.4million, including add-ons, on ten new recruits, while bringing in around £49m through seven departures.
But Gineitis was one player they could not get over the line. The 22-year-old Lithuania international, who has been capped 32 times, remained at Torino after Celtic’s efforts to strike a deal came up against the Italian club’s valuation.
O’Neill said: “We had more than an interest in him at the time.
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“But it’s all very well having an interest and people feeling that they might want to come; you still have to negotiate with the club. That was a major thing at the end of the day.
“When clubs become adamant about a certain price for a player, and we are not in the market for overpriced players like in England, you have to deal with it as best as you can.”
The Celtic boss insisted a club’s asking price can make a transfer impossible, regardless of the player’s willingness to move. He added: “If you feel there is a price for a player, sure you can negotiate, but if there is not really any phenomenal negotiations, then you need to do other things.
“We had an interest in another young lad who I think will be a brilliant player. I loved him and I thought we could do it, but the club sent him elsewhere.”
Gineitis, who still has three years remaining on his Torino contract, would have required a significant outlay from Celtic.
However, O’Neill has left the door open to a potential return for the midfielder in January. “I’m sure you could revisit it,” he said. “Lads like him can be terrific or drop out of the team, who knows.
“But I am genuinely happy with what we have.”
