Italian report insists Celtic are keen on Omar Colley despite Neil Lennon denial

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Despite protestations from Celtic manager Neil Lennon, the press in Italy appear adamant that Celtic are trying to sign Gambia international centre-back Omar Colley from Sampdoria. 

Earlier this week, Lennon insisted to BBC Radio Scotland, as relayed by the Daily Record, that he was ‘not aware’ of any bid for the player, who was being linked with a potential £9 million move to Parkhead by CalcioMercato.

However, CalcioMercato in Italy have doubled down on their initial stance, and insist that Celtic are interested.

They report that, despite Lennon’s assertion, Celtic are trying to bring the defensive option in from the Serie A club. 

They claim that French side Stade Rennais have also joined the race for the player, who is also being linked with a move to England.

So what is going on?

There is every chance that Celtic are pursuing Colley’s signature at a board level without Lennon’s knowledge, however, that seems unlikely. 

What is more likely is that an intermediary is perhaps trying to get a deal together before proposing it to Celtic and seeing if they want to make it happen, a slightly more common practice in Italian football.

What does appear clear is that Lennon is not currently driving any interest in the player and that would make it seem unlikely anything will actually go through.

For now, Celtic fans can likely forget about these reports.