No hard feelings and the very best of luck to Marco Tilio at Rapid Vienna

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The Celtic Star

·20 luglio 2025

No hard feelings and the very best of luck to Marco Tilio at Rapid Vienna

Marco Tilio’s loan move to SK Rapid Vienna looks all but confirmed, according to Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg — a reliable source in the world of European football transfers…

Marco Tilio of the Socceroos in action during a Socceroos training session at Perth Stadium on June 06, 2025 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Imag

The deal is structured as a loan with an obligation to buy that activates after 20 competitive starts, with the total permanent fee set at €1.5 million. Celtic will also receive a €400,000 loan fee for the 23-year-old Australian winger, who joined the Scottish champions two years ago.

OneFootball Video

‘Marco Tilio to SK Rapid is considered a done deal. It’s a loan with an obligation to buy, which becomes valid after 20 starts in competitive matches. The fee upon activation will be €1.5 million. There will be a €400k loan fee for the 23 y/o winger from Celtic.’

🚨🟢⚪️ Marco #Tilio to SK Rapid is considered a done deal. It’s a loan with an obligation to buy, which becomes valid after 20 starts in competitive matches. The fee upon activation will be €1.5 million. There will be a €400k loan fee for the 23 y/o winger from Celtic.
– domenica 20 luglio 2025

From a Celtic perspective, the financial structure of this deal makes a lot of sense. The €1.5 million clause will virtually recoup the transfer fee paid to Melbourne City in the summer of 2023, meaning the club can close the book on this particular chapter without a significant financial loss.

Luke McCowan of Celtic FC celebrates with teammate Marco Tilio of Celtic FC after scoring a goal during the Pre-Season Friendly match between Sporting CP and Celtic at Estadio Algarve on July 16, 2025 in Faro, Portugal. (Photo by Gualter Fatia/Getty Images)

While things haven’t worked out for Tilio at Parkhead, this agreement gives him a realistic shot at re-establishing himself in Europe and, importantly, provides Celtic with a tidy exit strategy from what has turned out to be another of that summer’s frustrating recruitment misfires.

Tilio’s time in Glasgow never really got off the ground. Whether due to fitness, injuries, or simply the bruising nature of Scottish football, he struggled to impose himself or break into the first-team picture under Brendan Rodgers.

With only a handful of appearances to his name and no real run of games, it became increasingly clear that a fresh start was necessary — for both player and club.

Marco Tilio of Celtic Sporting Lisbon v Celtic, Pre Season Friendly, Football, Estadio Algarve, Portugal – 16 July 2025 Estadio Algarve Portugal Photo Carlos RodriguesShutterstock

SK Rapid, meanwhile, look like a sensible move. The Austrian Bundesliga club has a decent record of nurturing attacking talent, particularly in wide areas, and offers a competitive European environment without the punishing physical demands of the Scottish Premiership.

For Tilio, it’s a chance to rebuild his career in a league that might better suit his style — more technical, slightly less direct, and with greater opportunities to showcase his dribbling and attacking instincts without getting booted off the ball.

Ultimately, this move feels like the right decision all around. Tilio gets the playing time and platform he needs, Rapid get a talented if unfulfilled prospect with upside, and Celtic quietly rectify an error in last summer’s transfer window.

No hard feelings — it’s simply time to move on and draw a line under another 2023 experiment that didn’t pay off on the pitch. Best of luck to Marco. We hope this move works out and his dream of playing for Australia at a World Cup is realised.

Niall J

Here’s Kieran Tierney speaking to The Celtic Star and a few other Celtic fan media sites…

Celtic in the Eighties by David Potter…

Thank you to everyone who has already pre-ordered the late David Potter’s last ever Celtic book, Celtic in the Eighties, which will be published on the fifth day of September by Celtic Star Books. The link to pre-order your copy is below…

Celtic in the Eighties by David Potter, out 5 September 2025. Available to pre-order now.