Sebastian Tounekti has directly addressed Celtic’s transfer interest in him after he scored for Hammarby on Sunday.
The Hoops still need another winger before the deadline at 11pm tonight having signed Michel-Ange Balikwisha from Royal Antwerp before the weekend.
Tunisian international Tounekti is the man they want, but Hammarby have rejected two bids from the Bhoys for the 23-year-old.
The latest was a total package worth £4.7m, but Hammarby will reportedly do no deal unless over £6m is put on the table.
Tounekti on Celtic interest after Hammarby penalty goal
Amid the intense speculation, Tounekti managed to block out the noise and score a penalty for Hammarby in a 4-0 win over Osters IF on Sunday.
He started the game on the left wing and played 87 minutes in total. After the game, he spoke to Fotbollskanalen and admitted Celtic’s interest in him is ‘very exciting’.
However, he did not explicitly reveal whether he was leaving or staying with Hammarby on transfer deadline day.
Tounekti said: “I think the interest is still there, and I know they probably won’t give up yet. That’s what I’ve heard.
“They’re going to go all in. So we’ll see what happens. I’m very happy here, but it’s great to see such interest.”
So will he stay put or sign for Celtic? He replied: “It’s difficult to answer that right now. Things can happen quickly in football. The window closes tomorrow.
“I understand Hammarby. They want to win matches in the autumn and I’ve been given a good role in the team.
“So, I understand Hammarby’s side. But there’s a lot of money involved and it will be exciting to see what happens.”
“We’ve (Tounekti and sporting director Mikael Hjelmberg) just had a good chat. Of course, I’ve told ‘Micke’ that it’s a very exciting interest, a huge club. But I understand Hammarby’s position.”
Mikael Hjelmberg reveals last Celtic contact
Hammarby’s sporting director Hjelmberg said on Friday that Tounekti would be going nowhere, and that stance doesn’t appear to have really changed.
After Tounekti said that Celtic are not giving up on him, Hjelmberg responded: “Has he heard that? Well, I don’t know, actually.
“When I last spoke to Celtic, I said no thank you. I haven’t heard anything since then.”
Hjelmberg then revealed his last contact with Celtic over Tounekti was on Friday. So will the phone be busy today, or will the Hoops move on?
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