Celtic have been pushing hard to sign Sebastian Tounekti.
The 23-year-old winger is a Tunisian international and has been impressive for Swedish side Hammarby since signing in February this year.
Celtic want to strike a deal with Hammarby for Tounekti, but the negotiations are proving difficult – the Hoops have had two bids turned down so far.
The first was a £2.6m offer and the second worth a total package of £4.7m, which included bonuses. But Hammarby rejected both and clearly stated £6.25m would be needed.
Now however, even that may not be sufficient to buy Tounekti before Monday’s deadline.
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Hammarby sporting director blocks Tounekti to Celtic transfer
That’s because Hammarby’s sporting director Mikael Hjelmberg has reportedly told Celtic that Tounekti will not be sold this transfer window.
Hjelmberg says he informed Tounekti of this decision, and doesn’t know if Celtic will return to the table with a third offer.
Speaking to Fotbollskanalen, he said: “I have informed Celtic and Seb that he will play for Hammarby this autumn.”
After confirming Tounekti took the news well, Hjelmberg continued: “I don’t know (if Celtic will bid again) actually.
“I have received a few calls from them earlier in the day. I have been quite clear to them that our ambition is to keep Seb.”
What now for Celtic?
Celtic now have one of two options: they submit a third price that matches the £6.25m asking price to see if Hammarby will reconsider their current stance.
Or they ditch and move to pursue another target with just over 48 hours of the transfer window remaining.
Celtic have signed Michel-Ange Balikwisha to replace Nicolas Kuhn, but a deputy for Jota while the Portuguese star recovers from injury is still needed.
Tounekti was clearly favoured in that regard, but Hammarby do not want to sell their prized asset.
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