Celtic Face Olympiacos Competition for €15M-Rated Transfer Target

Olympiacos are said to be targeting Italian winger Matteo Cancellieri, who currently plays in Serie A for SS Lazio.

According to a report by media outlet TransferFeed, Lazio have demanded quite a high amount for the youngster; it was reported that the amount asked by the Italian club was somewhere around €8-10 million. Thrylos are reportedly working on the deal, and the clubs are in contact over a potential successful deal.

Several media outlets had earlier confirmed that Olympiacos were indeed interested in signing the 2002-born winger. Media outlets Il Messaggero, Corriere dello Sport and Gazzetta.gr had reported that Olympiacos were eyeing the services of Cancellieri, who continues to remain a top priority for the Greek club in reinforcing the attacking positions on the pitch. The player is one of the many investments that Olympiacos are set to make this summer in order to bolster their squad.

Born in 2002 in Rome, Matteo Cancellieri has played his entire career up to now in his home country. The winger started his senior career at Italian club Hellas Verona, after spending his formative years at the academy of AS Roma. He joined Hellas Verona in 2020, initially on loan, and then permanently. Cancellieri appeared in 12 league games for Gli Scaligeri before moving on loan to his current club Lazio in 2022.

Cancellieri permanently signed for Lazio in 2023 and has since appeared in 65 official fixtures, barring two loan seasons spent at Italian sides Empoli and Parma. In addition to his appearances made for his clubs, he also played one official fixture for the Italy national football team, back in 2022, in a UEFA Nations League game against Germany. He came on as a substitute in the 80th minute of the match, and it ended in a 1-1 draw.

Over the course of his senior career up to now, the winger has scored 17 goals in total.

However, Olympiacos do face a hurdle in securing the services of the winger, and that is the interest of Scottish Premiership side Celtic and English side West Ham United in the player. Celtic particularly are reported to be in pole position to sign the player. Manager Martin O’Neill likes the player, and Cancellieri, who has one year remaining in his contract, will also get a chance to prove his mettle in a league away from his home country.

The only hurdle that may hinder the signing of a potential deal is the price that Lazio are asking for the transfer of Cancellieri to Celtic, which is an amount hovering around €15 million. It remains to be seen which club finally manages to secure the services of the young winger.