Torino are hoping that having manager Ivan Juric at the club gives them an advantage in the race for Celtic defender Josip Juranovic.
That’s according to Toro News, who cover the Italian side’s interest in the full-back today after reports they had made contact with Celtic about a move for him.
Juranovic impressed at the World Cup with Croatia, putting in a series of impressive performances as his country reached the semi-finals of the tournament in Qatar.
That has seemingly ramped up interest in his signature and a report today from Gianluca di Marzio made it clear that Torino have already been in contact with Celtic about a move next month.
Toro News cover that and explain that Juranovic is likely to have caught Torino’s eye while Davide Vagnati was on a scouting mission in Qatar, where he will have ‘had the opportunity to follow (him) live’.
When a Croatian player is involved, they can ‘play the Juric card’ to convince them into the move as the Torino boss is ‘well known and appreciated’ in his homeland.
That was already seen in the summer when he ‘played a leading role’ in convincing West Ham’s Nikola Vlasic to join the club.
The hope is that he could do the same to secure the Celtic man’s signature.
There is a concern that the player’s value ‘may have gone up’ after his performances at the World Cup, and Celtic are certainly in a strong position as his current deal doesn’t expire until 2026.
Those two things make him a ‘complicated target’ for Torino to get but they are certainly in the race as they look for a right-back to bolster their squad.
