Iheanacho's Surprise Move
Nigeria striker Kelechi Iheanacho has turned down a new contract with Celtic and joined Bursaspor, who have just been promoted to Turkey's second tier.
Name: Kelechi Iheanacho
Age: 29
Nationality: Nigerian
Former clubs: Manchester City, Leicester City, Sevilla, Celtic
Celtic goals (2025/26): 9
New club: Bursaspor (Turkey second tier)
The 29-year-old forward helped Celtic clinch a domestic double last season, but has opted to continue his career in the TFF Second League with the club that won promotion as champions.
Injury-hit campaign
Iheanacho arrived at Celtic as a free agent in 2025 following a stint at Sevilla, and the former Manchester City and Leicester City forward scored nine goals across all competitions. However, a hamstring injury sidelined him for much of the middle part of the season, and he started only two games after October.
Despite that, Iheanacho proved a valuable impact substitute, scoring six goals from the bench as Celtic won their final nine Scottish Premiership matches to seal the title and went on to lift the Scottish Cup.
Celtic's transfer frustration
Celtic had offered Iheanacho a new deal, but his departure adds to the forward options headache facing manager Brendan Rodgers. The club has made just one summer signing so far—Colombian striker Camilo Duran from Qarabag for an undisclosed fee. With Daizen Maeda entering the final year of his contract and no guarantees over his future, Celtic are heading into the new campaign perilously short of centre-forwards.
"It's proving difficult to add to the squad because we are competing with big-spending English Championship clubs for players," Celtic chief executive Michael Nicholson said this week.
That financial muscle has already been evident elsewhere, with Leeds United spending £34.1m on defender Tarik Muharemovic, and Celtic losing out on targets.
What next for Celtic?
With the Scottish Premiership season fast approaching, Celtic will need to accelerate their recruitment or risk relying on injury-prone options and unproven youngsters. The departure of Iheanacho to a second-tier Turkish club may seem a low-key exit, but it leaves a bigger void than the modest goal tally suggests.