Celtic face a heightened threat to land top midfield target Gvidas Gineitis from determined former Rangers boss Danny Rohl.
The Premiership champions have tracked the all-action Torino star for a considerable period, and he appears the perfect replacement for West Ham target Arne Engels.
Salzburg's £20m double bid
But the chase to land the Lithuanian is heating up with Red Bull Salzburg, led by former Rangers boss Rohl, increasingly interested in the 22-year-old and one of his team-mates.
And their offer to the Serie A side appears tempting, as the Austrians are willing to spend £20m in a bumper double deal to land both Gineitis and his Torino pal Alieu Njie. Wide man Njie has earned admiring glances from Crystal Palace, however, Salzburg appear to be the favourite to land the Sweden U21 speedster.
Torino now appears faced with the prospect of accepting the offer from the Austrians for both players with the bidding starting north of £8million for Gineitis on his own.
Gineitis' preference and Celtic's other targets
It's understood Gineitis is keen on a switch to Parkhead but his personal preference could become moot as Rohl and Co raise the stakes.
Celtic also want to sign Mika Baur, however, any deal for the Paderborn player is unlikely to affect the pursuit of the Lithuania international, as both play different roles in midfield.
Salzburg's interest confirmed
The Salzburg threat level has been raised further after Matteo Moretto speaking on his YouTube show with Fabrizio Romano, revealed the push to secure Gineitis.
Moretto said: "Red Bull Salzburg is showing strong interest in Torino midfielder Gineitis, ready to make a significant offer, in addition to Celtic's already well-known interest."
