Marco Tilio’s Celtic future remains uncertain despite his strong loan spell in Australia, with Melbourne City boss Aurelio Vidmar admitting a return now looks unlikely.
Tilio joined Celtic in the summer of 2023 but struggled for game time, eventually returning to Melbourne on loan in February.
He rejoined the A-League champions last season, notching five goals and five assists in 19 appearances as City lifted the A-League Championship.
Having only just linked up with Brendan Rodgers’ squad for pre-season, the 23-year-old featured in Saturday’s friendly against Estrela, playing the first 45 minutes and assisting Reo Hatate’s opener.
He said: (A-Leagues.com), “I think it’s clear with Marco (Tilio) that he’s been pretty keen to go back to Europe.
“I think it’s well reported that he’s been in pre-season with Celtic he was involved in a friendly game last weekend,
“So it’s highly likely we won’t have the return of Marco, but we just don’t know where that’s going to end.
“He’s part of Celtic’s property. We don’t own the player, so we’ll see where that goes. And as I said, there’ll be ongoing discussions until we really know exactly what’s happening before we make the next move.”
Tilio’s recent performance in Portugal will have given Celtic staff something to think about as they assess squad depth heading into a demanding campaign.
While still facing competition for minutes, his output in Australia offers renewed hope of a more meaningful role.
With Vidmar’s comments pointing to an end to Melbourne’s pursuit, the next few weeks could be crucial for Tilio as he aims to convince Rodgers he can make an impact at Celtic.
