Celtic's hopes of landing Zdravko Kuzmanovic appear to be receding after Palermo last night made a fresh move to land the FC Basel midfielder.
The Parkhead club may, though, be on the brink of signing Jean-Joel Perrier Doumbe as the Cameroon internationalist has been involved in talks with Rennes to secure his release.
Celtic had a £1m offer for Kuzmanovic rejected last week and have yet to return with a second bid. Palermo had a similar offer dismissed for the 19-year-old midfielder, but a delegation from the Serie A club arrived in Switzerland yesterday to reopen negotiations with Basel. A £2m asking price has been placed on Kuzmanovic, although the Italians hope for a less expensive deal.
It is understood Gordon Strachan, the Celtic manager, views Kuzmanovic as a medium-term prospect, with Palermo prepared to hand him greater first-team responsibility immediately.
The Sicilians' club captain, Eurgenio Corini, turns 37 this year and Kuzmanovic has been targeted as his replacement. "We are thinking to the future after Corini," said Maurizio Zamparini, the Palermo president.
Kuzmanovic is under contract until June 2008 but has rejected attempts by the Swiss side to extend that deal. Celtic are, of course, tracking other midfielders, with Hibernian's Kevin Thomson and Scott Brown high on their list.
Perrier-Doumbe, a right-back who can play across the back four, spent a portion of last week on trial at Parkhead.
It is understood he returned to France in an attempt to reach a settlement with Rennes and leave himself open to join Celtic.
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