‘Turned Down Certain Clubs’ – Celtic Dealt Setback In Pursuit Of World Cup Star | OneFootball

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Celtic have suffered a significant setback in their pursuit of Egypt winger Haissem Hassan after the winger ‘turned down offers from certain clubs’ with Marseille the move he now ‘prioritises’.

Martin O’Neill’s side opened their Scottish Premiership title defence with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Dundee earlier this week.

Despite the winning start, the Bhoys remain active in the market for additional wide options as they look to further strengthen the squad before their Champions League playoff round tie in the coming weeks.

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The Hoops retain an interest in winger Matteo Cancellieri, although they face competition from West Ham United, who could yet consider approaching Lazio with a swap proposal involving Niclas Fullkrug.

Another winger on Celtic’s radar is Fares Ghedjemis, who is also chased by Rangers, although both Scottish giants face a sizeable obstacle with Frosinone reluctant to entertain offers.

Egypt winger Hassan is another name high on Celtic’s shortlist, with the Scottish champions having pursued the World Cup winger since earlier last month.

Competition, however, has intensified considerably, with clubs from England, Spain and France all entering the picture for the Real Oviedo man.

Now, according to French journalist Nordine Ali Said, Hassan has ‘turned down offers from certain clubs’ and is prioritising a move to Marseille this summer.

The winger and Les Olympiens have successfully reached an agreement on personal terms ‘after a few weeks of discussions’.

However, Marseille will only be able to advance a deal for the Egyptian should they first generate funds through player departures.

Hassan’s preference will come as a major setback for Celtic, whose hopes of bringing the winger to Parkhead have suffered a considerable blow.

The Bhoys may now be forced to assess alternative options, although with Marseille still needing to facilitate departures before progressing the deal, Celtic could yet attempt to persuade Hassan to reconsider a move to Glasgow.

There have also been suggestions that Real Oviedo are seeking €12m to sanction Hassan’s departure, leaving it to be seen whether Celtic would be prepared to make that level of financial commitment even if they were able to change the Egyptian’s mind.