Celtic were keen on signing Torino’s Gvidas Gineitis in the summer transfer window. A deal never materialised and the player isn’t entirely happy with how things went down.

Sport Witness regularly tracked the Lithuanian’s situation in the summer. The saga stretched on until Scottish transfer deadline day but the Italian side were never handed the right fee for a sale.

Celtic made several attempts to sign Gineitis but none proved enough, despite Torino’s intentions of earning a capital gain.

This led to the player making it clear he hasn’t had an easy few weeks, as his role in the Torino squad has now reduced.

It doesn’t end there, as Gineitis doesn’t seem too happy with the Hoops.

Belief player’s time was wasted

Tuttomercatoweb report that Torino and Gineitis’ entourage are now discussing the midfielder’s possible renewal. Initial contact has been made, with Il Toro aiming to extend his deal beyond the summer of 2029.

The outlet also provide background to Celtic’s approach in the summer. They made two offers to sign the 22-year-old but they couldn’t bridge the gap with Torino over a deal.

This has led to the player and his entourage feeling that the Hoops were never serious. They feel led down by how the transfer was approached, despite Martin O’Neill being quite keen on the move.

Gineitis now believes the Glasgow club never really wanted him and wasted his time.

While Torino still will execute a sale for around €10m, it remains to be seen if Celtic will offer that. More importantly, there is no certainty whether Gineitis himself will desire the move anymore .

Deal was there for the taking

Celtic had a golden chance at signing Gineitis in the summer. Everything was in place and the gap between the two clubs was never major. Even the player’s agent had gone public with admission of their interest, which only helped the Hoops.

The Lithuania international is a proven asset in Serie A and was key for them earlier in the season. He has also become a leader for the national team and playing in Europe would be a natural next step.

He boasts reliable technical ability too, which would’ve been good for Celtic. This should now come as a regret because other clubs can join the race for the midfielder.

Sport Witness Analysis: Celtic signings from Serie A

CELTIC SIGNINGS FROM SERIE A Permanent transfers & loans from Italian top-flight clubs

6 first-team signings  |
4 permanent transfers  |
2 loans

Player	Signed	From	Position	Deal	Transfer details
Paolo Di Canio	1996	AC Milan	Forward / winger	Permanent	Joined under Tommy Burns; spent one season at Celtic before moving to Sheffield Wednesday.
Enrico Annoni	1997	Roma	Defender	Permanent	Signed in February 1997 and remained at Celtic until 1999.
Shunsuke Nakamura	2005	Reggina	Attacking midfielder	Permanent	Joined after three seasons in Italy; spent four years at Celtic.
Massimo Donati	2007	AC Milan	Midfielder	Permanent	Signed from parent club Milan after spending the previous season on loan at Atalanta.
Diego Laxalt	2020	AC Milan	Left-back / wing-back	Season-long loan	Arrived in October 2020 for the remainder of the 2020/21 campaign.
Oliver Sørensen	2026	Parma	Midfielder	Loan with option to buy	Joined in September 2026 on a season-long loan after one season at Parma.

ACADEMY SIGNING

Luca Santonocito	Joined from Inter’s youth setup in August 2007, aged 16. Progressed to Celtic’s reserves but made no competitive first-team appearances.

Related case: Olivier Ntcham had played in Serie A on loan at Genoa, but Celtic signed him from Manchester City in 2017.

Scope: First-team recruits signed directly from clubs competing in Italy’s Serie A, including loans. The selling or lending club determines inclusion. Academy recruitment is shown separately and excluded from the headline totals.
Updated: 13 November 2026.

SPORT WITNESS