Journalist George Tsarouchas claims the 29-year-old has rejected moves to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey and is closing in on a two-year deal at Parkhead.
Kelechi Iheanacho is edging closer to making his Celtic stay permanent, with a fresh claim suggesting new contract talks have taken place and a two-year deal is now within reach.
As reported by TalkingPoints, journalist George Tsarouchas has claimed that Iheanacho has not only turned down a move to Qatar but has also rejected an approach from Turkey. The Nigerian was also said to have been considering a move to Saudi Arabia earlier in the week, but that has now been quashed. Tsarouchas says the Nigerian forward is now set to agree a two-year contract to remain at Celtic, which would draw a line under weeks of uncertainty over his future.
The timing matters. Iheanacho arrived at Celtic as a free agent, and his first season in Glasgow was anything but straightforward – injuries disrupted his early integration, and there were stretches when his long-term impact looked uncertain. What followed, though, was a contribution that helped deliver a league and Scottish Cup double, with goals in high-pressure moments when the season genuinely needed rescuing.
O’Neill Has Been Unambiguous
Martin O’Neill has made no secret of where he stands. Speaking about the pursuit of a permanent deal, O’Neill said: “I’d like to do something with him. That’s the point. Of course, if we can do something relatively quickly, at least he then gets started in pre-season, which is really important for him. It’s something he didn’t have last year.”
O’Neill added: “After about three minutes, he was injured against Sturm Graz and he then hurt himself in the League Cup Final as well. So that would be nice. I’m definitely pursuing that at this minute.” That is about as direct as a manager gets. The intent is clear; it is the paperwork that needs to follow.
What It Means for the Summer Build
Get this over the line quickly and Iheanacho can integrate into pre-season properly – something O’Neill has explicitly flagged as crucial given how the injury disruption hampered him last year. A player who arrives mid-season, gets hurt twice, and still delivers in the moments that define campaigns is worth the effort of a clean run at pre-season training.
Celtic are clearly active across multiple fronts this summer. Further squad news covered by The Celtic Star is a reminder of how important those early weeks of preparation are for squad cohesion. Iheanacho belongs in that environment as soon as possible.
If Tsarouchas’s claim holds up and the two-year deal gets done, it would represent one of the cleaner pieces of summer business – retaining a player who earned his place the hard way, on terms both parties can live with. Let’s get it done. Mon The Hoops.