Luis Palma's time at Celtic is officially over, with the winger completing his move to Lech Poznan, where he spent the season just gone on loan.
Palma has been with Celtic since 2023, registering seven goals in 36 league appearances. He had a brief loan spell with Olympiacos before joining Poznan on loan for the entirity of the last campaign.
Palma makes his move permanent
The 26-year-old winger scored 12 and assisted 10 to help the Polish side to the league title this season, and unsurprisingly, that form has earned him a permanent move.
Poznan had already agreed an option to buy with Celtic, and so the deal has now been activated and formalised, as has been confirmed by club chief Tomasz Rzasa.
"The loan agreement with Celtic FC included an option to buy, so the decision was entirely in our hands from the outset," Rzasa told club media.
"We are pleased to confirm that on Wednesday, June 3rd, we exercised the clause and Luis Palma will be a part of our squad until June 30th, 2029. Naturally, we cannot disclose the exact figures involved, but I can confirm that this is the highest transfer fee in the club’s history."
Explaining the reasons behind the deal, he added: "It was impossible to overlook Luis' performances. He settled into the team very quickly and consistently delivered quality on the pitch, a fact that was reflected in his statistics.
"We remained calm throughout the speculation surrounding his future because we knew we held all the cards. After reviewing the season, we decided to make the move permanent.
"We hope Luis' excellent form continues and that he helps us from the very start of the new campaign, especially in the upcoming UEFA Champions League qualifiers. We are working hard to ensure we have the strongest possible squad in place ahead of the pre-season."
Palma has been surplus to requirements at Celtic for some time, and so the move will suit all parties. The winger actually did well during his early days at the club, but defenders seem to adjust to his style of play, and he never really found a way to get past that.
Performances where he lacked final product followed, and he quickly fell out of favour, leading to those loan spells. But it is good to see him finding his feet elsewhere, and clearly he is an effective player in the Polish league, where his future now lies.
Meanwhile, Celtic will top up their transfer kitty with the undisclosed fee and look to reinvest in their own squad this summer. Though, nothing is likely to advance on that front until they have decided who their new manager will be amid ongoing discussions with Martin O'Neill and others.
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