The small transfer fee Celtic will get for player holding European exit 'dream' as he goes against family wish
Celtic won’t be pocketing much if Rocco Vata does decide to leave Parkhead this summer, as more interest appears.
The Republic of Ireland youth international is out of contract this summer and has attracted a whole host of suitors over this season. A Celtic extension has not been agreed and now Corriere dello Sport claim Serie A side Lazio - who Celtic faced in the Champions League this season - are keen.
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Hide AdIt’s suggested Vata ‘will give an answer shortly’ after the Italian club made their transfer pitch. The player ‘dreams’ of moving to Italy and Celtic will only take home around £341k in training compensation should he move on this summer. That said, it is also stated father Rudi Vata ‘would have preferred him to continue in the Scottish club’. The former Celtic player said as much in January.
He told Off the Ball: "I had no freedom to think that one day I could become a Celtic player or a Bayern Munich player. In my country, at Rocco's age, that was not possible. It was illegal to think that. The maximum you could get was to go and play for the national team. That was my dream.
"Rocco can dream to play for Barcelona, for Real Madrid, for any club, Nobody can stop him and nobody can put a barrier unless he doesn't want to make it. He's 18 still. I don't think he's ready mentally to move to another country. He wants to move but I don't think he's got it.
"All he can do is continue to work. I tell him all the time, the manager - even when he's wrong, he is right. He's the boss, he's the leader. Everyone has to follow the leader.
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Hide Ad"I think he wants to be with Celtic and I think it's right for him to be with Celtic, to get more game time. If he gets game time, I think he'll produce what he's capable of producing. He's improved a lot, he's ready to play. All he needs to do now is get that opportunity."
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