{"id":2975,"date":"2026-07-10T21:32:12","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T18:32:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/celtic-begin-talks-to-re-sign-former-forward-kelechi-iheanacho\/"},"modified":"2026-07-10T21:32:12","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T18:32:12","slug":"celtic-begin-talks-to-re-sign-former-forward-kelechi-iheanacho","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/celtic-begin-talks-to-re-sign-former-forward-kelechi-iheanacho\/","title":{"rendered":"Celtic Begin Talks to Re-Sign Former Forward Kelechi Iheanacho"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Celtic manager Martin O\u2019Neill has confirmed the Scottish champions are negotiating to bring back Nigerian forward Kelechi Iheanacho, who has been without a club since his contract with the club ended on 30 June.<\/p>\n<h2>Key takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Martin O\u2019Neill says Celtic are in talks with Kelechi Iheanacho over a possible return.<\/li>\n<li>Iheanacho became a free agent after his deal expired on 30 June.<\/li>\n<li>Celtic previously held a club option for a further year, but it was not taken up.<\/li>\n<li>The striker played a major role in Celtic\u2019s domestic double last season, including late goals from the bench.<\/li>\n<li>O\u2019Neill wants the paperwork settled quickly so Iheanacho can get a full pre-season ahead of the new campaign.<\/li>\n<li>Turkish clubs have made offers, while an approach from Vasco da Gama reportedly did not advance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Return talks after contract option lapses<\/h2>\n<p>Iheanacho originally rejoined Celtic on a free transfer last September after leaving Sevilla, with the forward signing a one-year contract that included an option for an additional season.<\/p>\n<p>Celtic chose not to trigger that extension, meaning the 29-year-old was left without a club as the new season approached. O\u2019Neill has now reopened discussions in an effort to secure fresh terms.<\/p>\n<h2>Impact in Celtic\u2019s title-winning run<\/h2>\n<p>Last season, Iheanacho was central to Celtic\u2019s domestic double, finding the net nine times from 24 appearances across all competitions.<\/p>\n<p>His influence was especially noticeable in the closing stages, where he frequently provided a spark from the bench. He scored crucial late goals against Kilmarnock, Dundee, Hibernian and Motherwell, including a stoppage-time penalty in the victory over Motherwell that helped Celtic clinch the Scottish Premiership.<\/p>\n<h2>Why Celtic want a swift agreement<\/h2>\n<p>O\u2019Neill said the club is aiming to complete a new deal quickly to ensure Iheanacho can start the summer preparations properly. He missed a full pre-season last year after sustaining injuries early in each of the two preceding campaigns.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019d like to do something with him. If we can get it sorted relatively quickly, at least he then gets started in pre-season, which is really important for him. It\u2019s something he didn\u2019t have last year,\u201d O\u2019Neill said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo that would be nice. I\u2019m definitely pursuing that at this minute. He won\u2019t be in Portugal with us, but we are talking to his agent now at this moment. I would like to have him.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Interest from abroad as Iheanacho weighs options<\/h2>\n<p>During his time as a free agent, Turkish sides have reportedly made contract proposals to Iheanacho\u2019s representatives. A reported move from Brazilian club Vasco da Gama did not progress.<\/p>\n<p>Iheanacho has indicated that he would like to remain in Scotland, giving Celtic encouragement as negotiations continue.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Celtic manager Martin O\u2019Neill has confirmed the Scottish champions are negotiating to bring back Nigerian forward Kelechi Iheanacho, who has been without a club since his contract with the club ended on 30 June. Key takeaways Martin O\u2019Neill says Celtic are in talks with Kelechi Iheanacho over a possible return. Iheanacho became a free agent [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2974,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"Celtic Transfer News: Talks to Re-Sign Kelechi Iheanacho","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Celtic are in talks with free agent Kelechi Iheanacho about a possible return, after his deal ended on 30 June\u2014here\u2019s the latest t","mma_seo_breadcrumb_text":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_url":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_hide_ui":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_labels":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2975","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Celtic Transfer News: Talks to Re-Sign Kelechi Iheanacho<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Celtic are in talks 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