CELTIC will not be signing Josh Maja from Sunderland on a pre-contract after he was unveiled as a Bordeaux player this weekend.

Celtic had been linked with the soon to be out of contact Sunderland star back this month with many clubs showing an interest in bringing in the player for a next to nothing.

However, late last week we reported the French side had shown significant interest in the star and were willing to pay a fee to get him straight away. The money proved too much for Sunderland to turn down and Maja was happy with his deal.

Celtic’s interest in the player was described as Dembele-esque, not because people were comparing their on-field exploits but in the way, Celtic could have brought Maja in for a minimal outlay, developed him then sell him for a hefty fee down the line.

With Dembele, his move was to Lyon in France, so I suppose in this case Maja has ut out the middle man.

Sunsport were still adamant Celtic were interested in the player until it was clear where Maja wanted to go.