The price for Celtic’s reportedly imminent transfer of Sead Haksabanovic has been revealed to be a bargain figure – a mere fraction of the winger’s likely value.
Celtic reportedly began negotiations for the winger over a month ago, but backed out due to Rubin’s then-high asking price, with negotiations re-igniting in the last week due to Kazan’s desperation to receive a fee for the 23 year old.
According to Russian outlet Sports Express, the Montenegrin will cost Celtic a mere €2million – roughly £1.7million – despite costing Rubin Kazan over three times that figure last summer when signing from Norrkoping.
The same outlet last week reported quotes from Kazan’s CEO Rustem Saimanov emphasising the difficult financial position that the club are in, with various sanctions enforced on Russian sides following the country’s invasion of Ukraine earlier in the year.
Saimanov said: “Of course we’ve had our budget cut, a decent cut. Almost halved. There’s nothing to be surprised about. There’s always something going on and a minus budget. It seems that we`ve built a team. I want to note that no one gives us any money. No one has allocated a penny for all of our transfers.
“There is a certain budget. We try to do something in this budget. If we put together a good team, we were robbed again. We will somehow survive. But I am not worried, everything will be fine, everything will be fine.”
Kazan are looking to recoup fees for Haksabanovic and Danish midfielder Oliver Abildgaard to ease the monetary burden on the club – with many previously Russia-based stars like Jordan Larsson leaving their clubs for nothing this summer under special FIFA regulations.
Haksabanovic has played no part in Kazan’s season so far, and would leave after spending the final three months of last season on loan back in the Allsvenskan where he first made his first team breakthrough as a 15 year old.
He is expected to sign on loan with an obligation to buy, in a similar deal to the one that brought Daizen Maeda to Paradise in January, with the Japan international’s permanent stay all but assured from the get-go.
Should the deal be completed, the former West Ham winger would become Celtic’s seventh signing of the transfer window, and would follow Carl Starfelt who switched Kazan for Glasgow last summer.
In all likelihood, Hakasabanovic be one of many keen eyes on the Champions League draw today, as Celtic re-join Europe’s top table for the first time in four years.
In other news: The Celtic stars aiming to secure exit as we approach the final week of the transfer window
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