Celtic make 'huge' bid for World Cup star

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Tom Weber | Writer

Multilingual sports writer who specialises in European football and American soccer.

Celtic have made an improved offer for Real Oviedo winger Haissem Hassan.

The Hoops are in the midst of what Martin O'Neill is hoping will be a major summer overhaul after last season's mixed bag. Celtic won a domestic double, but they made hard work of it.

The first deal of what is expected to be a busy summer was recently wrapped up, with the Parkhead club bringing in Colombian forward Camilo Duran for €5.5 million after watching him bag five goals in the Champions League last term.

Current ETV

Haissem Hassan

F, M (R)

Real Oviedo

Haissem Hassan

F, M (R)

Real Oviedo

€3.4M

ETV Range

€2.7M - €4.1M

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Duran is far from the only attacker expected to arrive in Glasgow this summer. In fact, the need to bring in further reinforcements has only become greater following Kelechi Iheanacho's shock decision to snub a new contract in favour of a move to Bursaspor.

On Saturday, O'Neill admitted that Celtic thought they "had a deal with Iheanacho," only for it to blow up in their faces. Meanwhile, another target, Lorent Tolaj, has agreed a move from Plymouth to Bristol City.

Celtic make new Hassan bid

One player Celtic have been chasing for some time now is Real Oviedo winger Haissem Hassan, who starred for Egypt at the World Cup. The French-born winger is a brilliant dribbler and would be a savvy pickup.

Unfortunately for the Hoops, the relegated LaLiga side have been playing hardball due to Hassan's exploits on the biggest stage of them all. They ideally want his suitors to match the €12m release clause in his contract, but they accept that this may be wishful thinking.

"We are here to make the best sporting decisions and have the best possible team," sporting director David Fernandez recently said. "I don't control the financial aspects. We want the best players, but the market will determine when we finalise the squad."

According to Egyptian outlet Gomhuria, Celtic have now made a "huge" second bid for Hassan after seeing an opening offer worth around €4m rejected, though the publication does not disclose the value of this second proposal.

Two weeks ago, FootballTransfers confirmed Celtic's interest in the 24-year-old and revealed that his agent was actively working on engineering a move for him. A transfer to the country of his birth, France, is one concrete option that has been floated.

Celtic have already failed to get him at the knockdown price they wanted; it now remains to be seen if their "huge" second bid will be accepted.