Celtic star Josip Juranovic is at the centre of a huge bust-up between his former clubs in Croatia that's set to go to FIFA to resolve...before he even completes his big money transfer.
The Hoops full back, 27, is wanted by several top clubs across Europe with Italian sides Monza and Torino now reportedly leading the chase, although he was at one stage linked with Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Chelsea after an outstanding World Cup for third placed Croatia.
But his imminent transfer has led to a financial squabble between Juranovic's first club - Zagreb second tier outfit Dubrava and Hajduk Split.
Dubrava president Roko Ivanovic claims Hajduk reneged on a gentleman's agreement when they signed Juranovic in 2015 and they never received a penny for his sale, with the Split club refusing to comment.
And they are demanding the FIFA development fee for his transfer, which amounts to 2.87 per cent of what Celtic eventually receives for him.
Ivanovic said: "I gave Juranović to Hajduk, but they are not honest. They didn't pay us a penny of what was agreed.
"I trusted their former president Marin Brbic at his word. We had an agreement, but later Ivan Kos replaced him and just said that he didn't know anything about it.
"They didn't pay us anything.
"We really don't know exactly how many Euros we should get when Josip Juranović leaves Celtic, but I know that under FIFA rules we are entitled to exactly 2.87 percent of player development transfers and we will make sure we get it
"For me, Juranovic was the best right back at the World Cup. But back then I was the one who believed in him. We actually allowed him to go to Hajduk for free because they had no money, but we had an agreement about future transfer fees with the president.
"But we have never received a penny from Hajduk. It's my fault for trusting them.
"Because we didn't get a fee, we might not get the FIFA development fee, but we will take this all the way."
Meanwhile, Tomoki Iwata believes his hard work and ball-winning capabilities can help Celtic to even more success.
The Japanese midfielder arrived in Glasgow last week following his move from Yokohama F Marinos, where he previously played under Hoops manager Ange Postecoglou.
The versatile defensive-minded player joins a side sitting nine points clear in the cinch Premiership but he is confident he can add to the team.
The 25-year-old told Celtic’s official website: “The team has been winning a lot of games and is in first place in the league so this is why I’m thinking how I can contribute to the team.
“I think my strong point is stealing the ball and my fitness and I think once I fit into the team I can contribute to achieve more success.
“I think my strong point is also working hard and in terms of my playing style then dealing with balls under pressure and this is what I would like to express.
“I also played with the manager in Japan so I would like to show my play on the pitch and contribute to the team.”
