Gustaf Lagerbielke’s potential transfer to Serie A club Lecce was scuttled by his wage demands, as disclosed by Lecce’s Director of Football, Pantaleo Corvino.
The Swedish defender, who joined Celtic last summer, was on the verge of a move to Italy during the closing days of the transfer window, but saw his loan move fall through due to the injury of Cameron Carter-Vickers.
Corvino detailed Lecce’s interest in Lagerbielke prior to his signing with Celtic, citing the player’s “exorbitant” wage demands as the reason for the failed transfer. “We appreciated his desire to come to Lecce. This summer we were interested, but we couldn’t keep up with the exorbitant demands, so he went to Celtic for 4.5 million and 800 thousand euros in salary,” Corvino explained, quoted by RecordSport.
Despite initial interest, Lecce had moved on to other targets by the time Lagerbielke expressed a desire to join the club, with Corvino noting, “When he didn’t feel comfortable, he and his agent asked us to come to Lecce. It was his request. However, we had already assessed (Marin) Pongracic, (Federico) Baschirotto, (Ahmed) Touba, and (Sebastian) Esposito as suitable at the beginning of January.”
Lagerbielke’s wage at Celtic, around £13,000 a week, represents a significant investment for a player who has struggled to make a substantial impact. While not an exorbitant sum by some footballing standards, it underscores the financial considerations clubs must balance, especially for players not regularly contributing to the first team.
