Sampdoria start to conduct transfer business through the press

Last updated : 21 June 2007 By Clydebuilt

Sampdoria released a press statement today stating that they have had no concrete offer from Celtic for the services of Gennaro Delvecchio. The statement from an un-named source read "The position of Sampdoria regarding Gennaro is simple - there has been no official contact from Celtic yet," said a club spokesman. "There has been no contact from Palermo either. Until there are official offers, there is only rumours.

He continued "I don't know if he would prefer to move to Scotland or remain in Italy. He is still our player at the moment and, once we receive an offer, we can discuss it with him then."

Readers may remember yesterday’s comments by Sampdoria club spokesman Matteo Gamba in which he stated that "Gennaro is excited by the idea of playing for Celtic". One could excuse this comment as the player merely reacting to hyperbole, but Gamba continued "Gennaro is speaking to the club (Celtic) and we should know within the next few days what will happen."

So I ask you this, if Sampdoria have had no official approach by Celtic, then are Celtic talking to a player they don’t have permission to speak to?

Or are Sampdoria attempting to get Celtic to commit early in order to get the players wages removed from the balance sheet?

Ill put my bottom dollar on the latter!

Other news in transfer land. Celtic target Maceo Rigters scored a sensational overhead kick in the under 21 tie against England last night. That strike will probably have added not only a million or two to his value but also will probably add a potential suitor or two to the already large enough list of teams vying for his signature

Time for Evander to turn tour guide!

Yours in Celtic

Clydebuilt