Celtic’s interest in Xaver Schlager now looks set to stall, with fresh reporting from Fabrizio Romano and Matteo Moretto pointing firmly toward Juventus.
What had felt like a chance to land an experienced midfielder is slipping away as the Italian club move early to secure an agreement for the summer.
The timing matters. Schlager’s contract situation made him attractive to several clubs operating outside the top financial tier, Celtic included. A player nearing the end of his deal, still in his prime, and used to high-level football is not a profile Celtic often get a clean run at. That window is narrowing.
Juventus stepping in shifts the balance quickly. They are not acting on impulse or reacting to market noise. They are targeting players who will be available without a transfer fee and building their next midfield with that in mind. Schlager fits that plan, and Celtic are now competing with a club that can offer both wages and status.
From a Celtic point of view, this feels familiar. The club identify the right type of player, follow the situation closely, and then hit the point where financial reality and competition intersect. Schlager’s name was not just about quality. It was about what he brings on the pitch in games where Celtic have struggled to impose themselves.
Moretto said: (Fabrizio Romano in Italiano), “And I can tell you that in the last few days, Juventus, which is moving strongly on some profiles in the absence of a contract, there was a meeting for Schlager and Juventus is moving forward concretely and positively in search of a total agreement, a verbal agreement in view of June.
“Since Schlager has a contract in the absence of a contract in June, he likes Juventus very much and watch out because there have been positive contacts to move forward. So Juventus is moving on Schlager as a midfielder for the future.
“Let’s repeat, for action that concerns the summer market window, not the winter market window. In short, a player on whom Juventus has put a ball of time and is continuing to work.”
The wording leaves little room for optimism from Celtic’s side. Juventus are not testing the water. They are pushing toward a verbal agreement for June, which removes the need for a bidding process and limits the chance for late interventions. Once a player commits at that stage, prising him away becomes unlikely.
This also explains why Celtic’s interest never moved beyond monitoring and contact. Schlager’s wage level has always been the sticking point. Even without a transfer fee, matching what Juventus can offer would require Celtic to stretch their structure in a way they rarely do. That is not about ambition. It is about how the club has chosen to operate.
On the pitch, the loss of this option is felt most in the context of midfield balance. Celtic have lacked a steady presence in matches where the tempo runs away from them. Away games in Europe and domestic fixtures against physical midfields have shown the same pattern. Control slips. Second balls are lost. The defence is exposed more often than it should be.
Schlager would have helped there. Not with goals or eye-catching moments, but with positioning and timing. He knows when to step in and when to hold. That kind of decision-making eases the load on players around him, particularly Callum McGregor, who continues to carry a heavy burden in big games.
Juventus see that value too. They are planning for the future and looking for players who can handle pressure without needing time to adapt. Schlager has played Champions League football and operated in demanding systems. That experience counts when building a midfield that has to function every week in Serie A.
Celtic FC Ambitious Xaver Schlager Celtic Transfer Rumour
Soccer Football – Bundesliga – RB Leipzig v Bayer Leverkusen – Red Bull Arena, Leipzig, Germany – December 20, 2025 RB Leipzig’s Xaver Schlager in action REUTERS/Annegret Hilse DFL REGULATIONS PROHIBIT ANY USE OF PHOTOGRAPHS AS IMAGE SEQUENCES AND/OR QUASI-VIDEO.
For Celtic, this looks like another case of being right on the profile but beaten on the destination. The club will move on quickly, because they have to. The squad still needs reinforcement in the middle, especially with the league campaign tightening and physical matches ahead.
The lesson here is not about missed chances. It is about the level Celtic are trying to reach and the barriers that still exist. Schlager choosing Juventus over Glasgow says as much about the market as it does about Celtic’s planning. The search for midfield steel goes on, but this particular door is closing.
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