Olympiacos Tipped to Rival Celtic for 22-Year-Old Defender

Olympiacos F.C. plans to make multiple signings this summer to avoid repeating last season's mistakes. They have now been linked to a center-back who is also of interest to Celtic F.C. and Feyenoord.

Head coach Jose Luis Mendilibar's team is already working behind the scenes in the transfer window. The Greek giant will participate in UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds and intends to strengthen as soon as possible to have new pieces from the start of the preseason.

One of the areas the Red and Whites intend to reinforce is central defense. Recent reports have linked the club to a center-back who is also of interest to other big European clubs.

According to reports cited by TransferFeed, Olympiacos is interested in Sandefjord's 22-year-old Swedish-Bosnian center-back Zinedin Smajlovic.

"The player has been suggested as a potential option for the Piraeus club. Smajlovic is under contract with the Norwegian team until 2028," the cited outlet reported.

According to this same information, Smajlovic is also wanted by Scottish Premiership side Celtic, Ligue 1 club Toulouse, and Eredivisie giant Feyenoord. Needless to say, competition is tough for the Greeks.

"He has also attracted interest from other clubs, including Toulouse, Feyenoord, and Celtic, and his current market value is estimated by Transfermarkt to be €3.00m."

Just two weeks ago, Norwegian outlet TV 2 reported that Celtic had already made contact with Sandefjord to learn the terms for signing the young defender.

That report indicated that the price to persuade the Norwegian club to let go of their player would be around 3 million pounds (around 3.5 million euros). Certainly, that is a figure that clubs like Celtic and Olympiacos are typically willing to invest.

This interest from Thrylos could be due to constant reports that Frenchman Giulian Biancone is on his way out. The 26-year-old center-back has recently been linked to RC Lens and Anderlecht.

On the other hand, Olympiacos is also looking for a left-footed center-back, with Mika Marmol the most mentioned in the Greek press, although in this case they seem to face competition from Feyenoord and the Spanish club Celta Vigo as well, according to reports.

During the 2026 season, Smajlovic has played 10 matches and provided one assist. In the 2025 season, he made 27 appearances, scored two goals, and provided two assists. He has a valid contract with Sandefjord until Dec. 31, 2028.

Who do you think will land the 22-year-old center-back?