Celtic’s hopes of landing winger Sebastian Tounekti before the transfer window slams shut have taken a major hit, with Hammarby once again rejecting an improved offer.
Brendan Rodgers’ side lodged a third bid on deadline day, worth around £5.5 million, for the Tunisian international in a bid to bolster their attacking options. However, the Swedish club remain firm in their stance, with sporting director Mikael Hjelmberg confirming that the club have no desire to cash in on their star man.
Speaking to Expressen, Hjelmberg said: “Nothing is set in stone in this business. We have had a great dialogue with Seb and a clear dialogue with Celtic that we have no ambition to sell.
“It is not that we have made a counter-offer. We have really just said no.”
The Swedish window is already closed, so Hammarby are unable to dip into the market and find a replacement. If Celtic really wanted the winger, they maybe should have considered this and made their move earlier.
It’s a significant blow to Celtic, who have already seen their top striker target Kasper Dolberg reject a move in favour of a return to Ajax. With winger Yang Hyunjun in talks over a move to Birmingham City and a serious lack of wide options, the need to strengthen has become increasingly urgent.
With time ticking down and other targets proving elusive, pressure is mounting on the Celtic board to deliver much-needed reinforcements before the 11pm deadline.
