From Sporting Life:
Cristiano Lucarelli claims he had the opportunity to join Celtic at the end of last season.
The Italian striker left Livorno for Shakhtar Donetsk over the summer in a big-money transfer which surprised many in his homeland.
Celtic were rumoured to be among the clubs interested in Lucarelli and he showed the Scottish giants what they missed out on in Tuesday's UEFA Champions League tie.
Lucarelli scored a fine header in Shakhtar's 2-0 win and he confirmed he had held talks with The Bhoys.
"In May I spoke to the director of sport for Celtic for playing in Glasgow, but it was no," Lucarelli told Sky Sports News.
And when asked if he could have moved to Parkhead, Lucarelli replied: "Yes."
The 31-year-old admits he does not regret choosing to move to Ukraine as he was eager to play Champions League football.
He added: "I don't regret leaving Serie A. I moved to Shakhtar to play Champions League football.
"To do that regularly in Italy you need to play for Milan, Internazionale or Juventus.
"Players from other clubs need to leave the country to do so, like (Massimo) Donati at Celtic."
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