Celtic still have plenty of opportunity to sign winger target Haissem Hassan this summer due to the player's first-choice club effectively being out of the frame.
The Bhoys have been interested in a deal for Hassan for much of the summer, with Martin O'Neill keen to sign a new winger or two. Hassan and Fares Ghedjemis appear to be the main option, with the former likely available for around £8million, while reports suggest the latter will cost much more.
It emerged this week that Hassan had rejected an offer to move to Saudi Arabia, only interested in a European move, and a further report claimed he was hoping to join French giants Marseille amid interest. But that deal does not look to be possible.
Marseille in a concerning situation
The initial report suggested Marseille would have to sell players before signing Hassan, but it is now being reported that the situation is worse than feared. Two French journalists have reported that Marseille need to sell €150million worth of players by June 30 of 2027 to remain compliant with league rules, or they could be at risk of being relegated.
It's reported that as a result, effectively every player is for sale at this stage. Marseille have just under a year, but that is a big number to reach, and they only have the remaining weeks of this window, the January window and the first week or so of the next summer window.
What that means for Celtic is that Marseille are effectively out of the race to sign Hassan, even if the winger is interested in a move there. Signing players is not likely to be on the agenda for the French club any time soon, unless it is replacing more expensive players on the cheap.
That could give Celtic the in they need, but they are still going to have to stump up the relatively big fee themselves.
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