Isak Jansson – a reported target for Celtic over recent days – it appears has opted for sun, sea, and the Côte d’Azur, rather than the East End of Glasgow. No accounting for taste, I suppose…
Isak Jansson of SK Rapid during the UEFA Conference League 2024/25 Round of 16 Second Leg match between SK Rapid and FK Borac at Weststadion on March 13, 2025 in Vienna, Austria. (Photo by Christian Hofer/Getty Images)
Sky Sports Austria have revealed that the Swedish winger is packing his bags for the south of France, leaving Rapid Vienna’s training camp in Freistadt to finalise a move to Ligue 1 side OGC Nice. And who could blame him? Well… maybe some of us could.
SK Rapid has recorded a new record departure! According to exclusive information from Sky, Isak Jansson is moving to OGC Nice in the French Ligue 1 .
Rapid is set to receive a transfer fee in the double-digit million range for the first time. This fee is said to be €10 million. As Rapid announced on Wednesday morning, the Swede has left the training camp in Freistadt to finalize the transfer.
This makes Jansson Rapid’s new record sale. The Green-Whites’ most lucrative departures to date were Maximilian Wöber (to Ajax Amsterdam) and Robert Beric (to AS St. Etienne) – both of which brought €7.5 million into Rapid’s coffers.
Jansson was signed permanently by Rapid in the summer of 2024 for €250,000, after impressing on loan in the months prior. In his one-and-a-half years at Rapid, the 23-year-old has made 45 competitive appearances, contributing ten goals and seven assists. Rapid is now selling the Swede for around 40 times the purchase price.’
Isak Jansson of SK Rapid runs with the ball during the UEFA Conference League 2024/25 Round of 16 Second Leg match between SK Rapid and FK Borac at Weststadion on March 13, 2025 in Vienna, Austria. (Photo by Christian Hofer/Getty Images)
The fee at €10 million is a hefty one and a new club-record sale for Rapid Vienna. Not bad for a player they only paid €250,000 for after a fruitful loan spell.
In just a season and a half in Austria, Jansson clocked up 45 appearances, chipped in with 10 goals and 7 assists, and has now earned Rapid a tidy profit – roughly 40 times their investment. That’s Celtic style business right there – well the sales part at least.
To put it in context, Jansson’s fee dwarfs Rapid’s previous record departures. Maximilian Wöber’s move to Ajax and Robert Beric’s switch to AS St. Etienne both netted the club €7.5 million. So this is a proper windfall for the Viennese club.
For Celtic, it seems the financial outlay might have made this one a step too far. A €10 million fee, while not unprecedented at Parkhead, is still eyebrow-raising – especially for a player still proving himself at top European level. It would have blown past the fees paid for Jota or Carter-Vickers, and perhaps there was a sense inside Celtic Park that the risk-reward balance just didn’t sit right.
Still, this doesn’t end Celtic’s summer recruitment drive. The club are still reportedly in the mix to sign Michel-Ange Balikwisha, another versatile and attacking wide option from Royal Antwerp. The Belgian fits the same mould as Jansson – young, dynamic, and with plenty of potential – but perhaps one more suited to Celtic’s valuation metrics.
27.April.25 – Bundesliga, championship group, SK Rapid Wien vs FC Blau Weiss Linz. I Isak Jansson Rapid. picture/Philipp Brem
In the end, Jansson’s choice of Nice over Celtic might say more about location than ambition. A few degrees warmer, sure. But whether Ligue 1 turns out to be the right next step remains to be seen. He won’t be the first to have chosen scenery over substance.
Niall J
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