Both Celtic and Rangers were both looking to sign Damir Redzic over the winter transfer window
The two sides were both keen on bringing the Hungary international to Glasgow but he ultimately snubbed both in favour of Red Bull Salzburg. Redzic has a clear aspiration in mind for the trajectory of his career and it did not involve the switch to Scottish football.
Damir Redzic snubbed both Celtic and Rangers
Redzic was linked with a number of clubs during the winter window but eventually signed for Austrian side Salzburg. He made the move from former club Dunajska Streda, and sporting director Jan Van Daele has broken his silence on the lead-up to the player’s decision.
The 22-year-old signed for Salzburg despite Celtic and Rangers both registering their interest and the Hoops offering more money than his £4 million transfer fee. Redzic made it clear he ‘had no interest’ in playing Scottish football by completely snubbing the two Premiership sides.
“The starting point was that we did not want to sell Damir and we told this to the player,” Van Daele said, via The Herald.
“The first interested party was FC Copenhagen in mid-January, but their their offer was so low that it was practically impossible to take it seriously.
"Then his agents appeared, tried to put pressure on us, but we still insisted that the amount was not enough. After that, Red Bull Salzburg arrived and that’s when things really got serious.”
Celtic and Rangers target wants to follow Liverpool icon’s path
Redzic’s agents were reportedly trying to push their player to stop training in order to facilitate his move. However, the 22-year-old ‘behaved extremely professionally’ and refused to boycott his training sessions.
“I can't say a single bad word about him. He is a fantastic person and a professional player,” Van Daele continued. “I am especially grateful to him for the way he handled this whole situation, because it was a huge pressure for him too.
“After Red Bull entered the picture, suddenly other clubs appeared - Celtic and Rangers were also both interested. In fact, Celtic's offer was higher than Salzburg's, but the player was fully focused on Red Bull.”
The drive to join Red Bull Salzburg was spearheaded by Redzic’s admiration of international teammate Dominik Szoboszlai. The midfielder left the Austrian club in 2023 in a £60 million move to Liverpool, where he has since won the Premier League and is a key player in their system.
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