Gvidas Gineitis was a notable absentee from Torino’s squad as the Italian side recorded a 3-1 pre-season victory over Vado on Wednesday evening.
The Lithuanian midfielder, who has been strongly linked with Celtic in recent weeks, did not feature in the matchday group amid continued speculation surrounding his future.
Interest in Gineitis comes as West Ham continue to push for a deal to sign Arne Engels, with the Belgian midfielder already understood to have agreed personal terms with the Premier League club.
If Engels completes his move to the Hammers, Gineitis is expected to emerge as one of Celtic’s leading targets to strengthen the midfield. His agent has already acknowledged that the Scottish champions have made contact.
Torino have yet to comment on the reason behind the 22-year-old’s omission from Wednesday’s fixture.
His absence has raised eyebrows after he completed the full match against Burnley in Torino’s previous friendly, while the rest of the players involved in that contest were included against Vado.
Mika Baur also remains on Celtic’s shortlist, although reports have suggested Gineitis is viewed internally as the preferred option should Engels depart.
The Serie A club are believed to value Gineitis at between £10.3 million and £12.8 million, meaning Celtic would likely need to commit a significant transfer fee to secure his signature.
Standing at 6ft 3in, the left-footed midfielder has already accumulated the equivalent of 43 full Serie A appearances despite only celebrating his 22nd birthday in April.
Gineitis joined Torino from Lithuanian side Atmosfera Mažeikiai in January 2023 and has since established himself as an increasingly important member of the first-team squad.
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