CELTIC were thwarted after making a last gasp bid at the weekend to sign Georgian international midfielder Giorgi Kochorashvili for next season.
The Levante star has been a key man in the club’s push to win promotion back to La Liga after starring for his country at Euro 2024.
Giorgi Kochorashvili of Georgia in action[/caption]
The holding midfielder has real ability[/caption]
His club announced Sporting Lisbon had completed a £5 million deal for him at the weekend for next season which includes a 12.5 per cent sell-on clause.
And indications in Spain have revealed the deal was rushed through because Celtic slapped in a late offer to try and persuade Levante to sell the 25-year-old to them instead.
Levante stated: “We can confirm Giorgi Kochorashvili has reached an agreement with Sporting Lisbon after negotiations accelerated over the weekend.”
And the reason the transfer was unusually confirmed outside the transfer window and at an important stage of the season was because of a deal struck between Levante and Sporting.
Sporting reportedly secured an agreement with the Spanish club in January, which included a clause that the transfer would be triggered and announced immediately if they received an offer from any other club.
And reports in Spain claim Celtic made a formal bid at the weekend, which caused Levante and Sporting to announce the deal.
Defensive midfielder Kochorashvili was a key player for Georgia in their first ever major tournament in the summer and he also netted the winning goal in their most recent Nations League match against Albania last month.
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