In January, Sport Witness covered interest from Celtic and Southampton in Venezia midfielder Issa Doumbia.
Martin O’Neill’s side and the Saints were competing with Udinese for the Italian, with the Friulian side attempting to sign him and loan him back to Venezia.
Tuttomercatoweb presented Udinese as a threat to Southampton and Celtic but a move never progressed. In fact, Doumbia has only grown in stature and has started every Serie B game in 2026.
The Celtic and Southampton target scored against Frosinone at the weekend, taking the Venice club to the top of the table. He also found the net against Mantova late in January.
Today, TuttoSport carry a detailed feature about Doumbia. The newspaper make it clear that the Serie B side rejected offers from both Celtic and Southampton in January. Club Brugge and Espanyol also emerged as interested parties.
All four clubs put forward €6m but Venezia had no intention of selling him. That Celtic, Southampton and the others offered the same would suggest an agent being at work.
Celtic and Southampton correct to try for early deal
However, Venezia had big plans for him and the decision is now paying off. Doumbia has now been described as ‘the indispensable balancer’ of his team. He is seen as a key reason they haven’t lost once in 12 league games.
TuttoSport also praise Doumbia’s physical attributes, believing he can become an interesting prospect for Italy in the future.
If Venezia are promoted, the 22-year-old’s valuation will rise. He has previously played in Serie A but he is now better than ever, having also added goals to his arsenal.
Celtic and Southampton were right to try and get in early, whether they return in the summer remains to be seen.
