Why January signing target Damir Redzic rejected Celtic for Salzburg | OneFootball

Dunajska Streda Sporting Director Jan Van Daele has revealed that Celtic were interested in signing Damir Redzic in January…

Damir Redzic of DAC during the 13th round of Nike liga football match between DAC Dunajska Streda and FC Kosice. MOL Arena, Dunajska Streda, Slovakia, November, 01, 2025. Photo by Branislav Racko IMAGO

Despite Celtic reportedly putting more money on the table, the player chose to join Red Bull Salzburg, according to Dunajska Streda transfer guru Jan Van Daele.

Celtic had approached the Slovak club over a potential deal for the 22-year-old prospect. However, Redzic ultimately sealed a £4million transfer to the Austrian champions after indicating he did not want to pursue a move to Scotland.

That decision came even though Celtic’s proposal was financially superior to Salzburg’s offer.

Damir Redzic of FC Red Bull Salzburg during a photo shoot at Red Bull Arena in Salzburg, Austria. Photo by Fabian Weirather FC Salzburg (IMAGO)

Now, speaking via Glasgow Times, Van Daele said: “The starting point was that we did not want to sell Damir and we told this to the player.

“The first interested party was FC Copenhagen in mid-January, but 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.

“His agents started talking about all sorts of things, for example, stopping training, but fortunately, Damir behaved extremely professionally, said no to the boycott of training and worked as he should have throughout. I can’t say a single bad word about him. He is a fantastic person and a professional player.”

Van Daele added: “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 (the)Rangers were also both interested.

Hungary v Ireland, 16th, November 2025. A disappointed Damir Redzic (23) of Hungary seen after with the fans the UEFA World Cup qualifier between Hungary and Ireland at the Puskas Arena in Budapest. Hungary. Photo:Gonzales Balazs Popal/IMAGO

“In fact, Celtic’s offer was higher than Salzburg’s, but the player was fully focused on Red Bull. Damir had very clear career goals – he said he wanted to go to Salzburg and from there move on to a top club.

“As a specific example, he had Dominik Szoboszlai’s career in mind because he was at Red Bull Salzburg.”

Conor Spence

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