For many Celtic fans, the lack of opportunities given to Ireland underage star Rocco Vata at first team level has been rather puzzling.
The 18-year old has long been touted as one of the brightest prospects produced by the club in quite some time. However, outside of four brief league appearances off the bench last season, he has not been in the reckoning at Parkhead.
A son of former Celtic and Albania star Rudi Vata, Rocco qualifies for Ireland via his mother's side of the family. He was first capped in green at U15 level and made his U21 debut in 2023.
His Celtic contract expires at the end of the season, with the winger drawing quite a bit of interest from other clubs. That includes from Serie A side Bologna, who were thought to be leading the chase for his signature.
However, it seems they are not the only team in the that particular race.
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Italian club hoping to hijack deal for Ireland youngster
Transfer insider Fabrizio Romano is reporting that Italian club Como have approached Celtic over the possibility of signing Rocco Vata.
🔵🇮🇪 Excl: Celtic have been approached by Italian side Como FC for Irish talent Rocco Vata.
Bologna are keen on signing him as revealed last week but Como can offer different kind of project and guaranteed game time. Talks will follow soon. pic.twitter.com/ZmVUWb5bII— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 15, 2024
Como currently sit joint-second in Serie B, with the club currently in the midst of a very ambitious sporting project. The likes of Thierry Henry and Cesc Fabregas are co-owners of the side.
As Fabrizio Romano points out, they could well offer more first team opportunities to Rocco Vata than Bologna. Bologna are currently in fifth place in Serie A and may be hesitant to give an 18-year old signing extended playing time over the coming months.
Celtic would likely accept a nominal fee for the player this month, although they would be due around £340,000 in compensation should he leave on a free transfer this summer.
It will be interesting to see what route he opts to go down over the coming weeks.
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