Why Moussa Dembele exit was about more than a sell-on fee for Celtic

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Former Celtic striker Moussa Dembele looks likely to be on the move across the next two transfer windows.

The 26-year-old’s contract at French Ligue 1 side Lyon is set to come to an end after around four years at the club in his homeland.

Dembele joined his current side from the Hoops back in 2018 as he embarked upon a new adventure after a brilliant spell at Parkhead.

The former French under-21 international was a fans favourite at Celtic Park, scoring goals for fun during his tenure in the East End of Glasgow.

The striker has continued his success as a leading frontman during his time with Lyon, scoring 69 goals in 156 appearances, and helped them to a Champions League semi-final run in 2019/20.

He has also spent some time in La Liga after having a short stay on loan at European giants Atletico Madrid, and although he helped them lift the league title, it was ultimately a disappointing spell.

During his stay at the French side, Dembele has been linked with moves across the globe, including the English Premier League on several occasions.

With Celtic believed to have a sell-on fee in the region of 10%-15%, those transfer links might have come as music to the ears of club officials or supporters.

However, a move for Dembele has never materialised, and now he is approaching the final six months of his contract at Lyon, putting any potential sell-on fee for Celtic at risk.

The Bhoys could be set to receive some sort of fee should Lyon choose to cash in on the striker in the January window. However, it is a far cry from the sort of money we might have been expecting in the past.

According to a report from Enson Haber, Turkish side Galatasaray are interested in bringing Dembele to the club across the next two windows.

However, they will only be offering a fee in the region of €5 million next month due to the opportunity to sign the prolific striker on a free transfer this coming summer.

Although Lyon are believed to be keen on the idea of Dembele extending his contract, the Frenchman isn’t, which could lead to a move taking place.

From a Celtic perspective, it may come as a slight frustration not to receive an extra fee for a player of Dembele’s quality. However, there is a much bigger picture around his initial move to Lyon.

Moussa Dembele sale was about much more than the sell-on fee for Celtic.

After the latest reports from Turkey, many media outlets in Scotland have led with the story that Celtic’s sell-on value looks set to plummet.

In my opinion, when you look at Dembele’s initial move from Celtic to Lyon in 2018, there is a much bigger picture surrounding it, other than just a sell-on fee.

In recent years, Celtic have become notorious for signing players before selling them for a higher fee further down the line.

Before Dembele’s arrival and sale, this process was already taking place, with players such as Virgil Van Dijk, Fraser Forster, and Gary Hooper being sold on for ‘big money’.

At that stage, receiving fees in the region of £10 million was a big deal. But it was also seen as a threshold for the value of key performers at Parkhead.

However, after a successful few years with the club, Dembele was able to break that mould, signing for Lyon for £19.8 million.

The Frenchman looks to have kick-started a new era for transfer value in this country, with Scottish clubs receiving more money from interested clubs.

Just one year after Dembele’s exit in 2018, Celtic went on to break their record transfer sale once again when Kieran Tierney joined Arsenal for £25 million.

Now, of course, missing out on an added bonus for Dembele is going to be a big disappointment for the hierarchy at the football club.

However, it can be argued there is a much bigger picture, and we will be reaping the rewards of Dembele’s move to France for years to come.

On a more regular basis, we will see the Hoops demand fees upwards of £15m-£20m, which is exactly what we should be doing for our premium talents.

The club should no longer be lowballing, and we would have seen the effects of that from Odsonne Edouard had his contract not run down into it’s final year.

Out of this current crop of players, I am personally confident that we will see several leave the club for upwards of the £19.8m we received for Dembele four years ago.

And that is all thanks to that move to France, which kick-started a new era of transfer value in this country.

So nevermind receiving a few extra million. The striker has now paved the way for our players to go for higher fees in the future.

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