Gustaf Lagerbielke sees Celtic exit rules change as Ange demand sparks Serie A transfer tug of war

Celtic defender Gustaf Lagerbielke is at the centre of a Serie A tug of war with Genoa reportedly joining Italian rivals Lecce.

The 23-year-old Swedish international moved to Parkhead in a £3 million in the summer but has rarely featured, not helped by injury issues, with Hoops boss Brendan Rodgers happy to let the former Elfsborg man move on. And it emerged on Monday that Lecce were keen to land the player on loan but, according to Corriere dello Sport, there are concerns about reaching an agreement with the Scottish Premiership leaders. Now Tuttomercato report that Genoa have entered the race - as they prepare to fill the hole about to be left by Radu Dragusin as former Celtic boss Ange Postecolgou closes in on a £21m transfer for the defender.

Dragusin has started all of Genoa’s 22 Serie A matches this season and is a key man for boss Alberto Gilardino whose side sit 12th in the Italian top flight. And he will have to fill the void left by the Romanian, although Spurs stopper Djed Spene, who has just returned to the north London outfit after an unsuccessful loan at Leeds United, could join Genoa on loan for the rest of the season as part of the deal.

But the Italian outlet report Lagerbielke is being considered and say: “Lagerbielke is also in the sights of Genoa, with the Grifone wanting the Swedish central defender as the name for the post-Radu Dragusin, who is increasingly closer to Tottenham. The next few hours will be decisive, in one sense or another, with the two Italian clubs having further contacts both with Celtic and with the player's entourage” but they do add that one advantage for Lecce could be the fact that the Hoops stopper shares the same representatives as his compatriot Pontus Almqvist.

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