A look up and a precise finish with sublime skill: Michael Olise once again demonstrated his exceptional quality in FC Bayern's 5–0 win over Bodø/Glimt. In the 83rd minute of the Champions League encounter, the Frenchman picked up pace down the right flank, cut inside and curled the ball beautifully into the top corner. A goal that was the perfect way to kick off the new Champions League campaign.
The German record champions' fans were thrilled by Olise's goal and chose it as FC Bayern's Goal of the Month for September. With 43.4 per cent of the vote, the forward came out on top against Alphonso Davies, who had also scored a spectacular goal to make it 3–0 during that same 5–0 win. Davies received 20.1 per cent of the vote.
Hot on Davies' heels were Jamal Musiala with his opener against Union Berlin (16.8 per cent) and Momoko Tanikawa, who also received 16.8 per cent of the votes for her winner against SC Freiburg. Fifth place went to Bogdan Olychenko for his opener for the FC Bayern reserves against Eichstätt (2.9 per cent).
It's already Olise's second consecutive fan accolade following his Goal of the Month for August. With his stunning finish against Bodø/Glimt, the Frenchman once again demonstrated that he's set to deliver special moments on a regular basis this season too.
Olise has been shortlisted for the Ballon d'Or alongside Harry Kane, Luis Díaz and Dayot Upamecano:

#champions

Bayern Munich defended forward Michael Olise after he caused a stir this week due to a post-match interview, in which he only replied with extremely monosyllabic answers.
"Michael Olise is someone who wants to play football, and off the pitch is not his forte. It's a big thing in the media, but on other channels he's being celebrated just as much for his conduct. What's most important to us is that he shows his ability on the pitch," Bayern board member for sport Max Eberl said in a news conference on Saturday.
"And the kids and teenagers can identify with it a bit more than perhaps we can," he added.
Following the 5-0 win over Bodø/Glimt in the Champions League on Thursday, Olise was named "Player of the Match" and appeared in an interview with broadcaster DAZN.
"I don't know," Olise said when asked how it felt to score a stunning goal. The reporter then asked how moments like that happen and the France international replied: "I shoot. Then it goes in, or it doesn't."

#match #pitch #asked

Manuel Neuer is one of, if not, the greatest goalkeeper of all time. While he hasn't been the subject of much praise in recent months, we now have an opportunity to come and celebrate the legendary goalkeeper. This week after his start against Bodø/Glimt, Neuer became the oldest German player in the history of the Champions League.
He has now surpassed legendary German Jens Lehmann, who also played as a goalkeeper. It does seem to be goalkeepers breaking these records, but that doesn't take anything away from this accomplishment. Neuer's longevity is simply brilliant, no matter how much his performances have cooled down over the years.
At 40 years and 167 days, Manuel Neuer became the oldest German player in the history of the Champions League, overtaking Jens Lehmann pic.twitter.com/3QHaV1PMoM
While it is an opportunity to celebrate, some fans might take the opportunity to look at this a bit more skeptically. Is this an amazing accomplishment? Yes, but perhaps a world-class squad such as Bayern Munich should aim to have a different choice in goal, considering the club's starting goalkeeper is now over 40 years old.
Looking at other top clubs such as Real Madrid, ******* nal, and PSG, Neuer's age certainly does stand out in comparison to these club's goalkeepers. Food for thought.

#manuel #league

After Bayern Munich's 5-0 win against Bodo/Glimt, goal scorer Harry Kane was asked about his ongoing contract negotiations with the club. Though he could not offer any details of the contract or when he expects it to be done, he spoke with a calm confidence that everything would get done in due time.
"We had conversations, a couple of weeks ago and some more this week. As I said before, a contract doesn't happen overnight — it takes time to digest and see how we can make it best case possible for everyone involved. I don't expect it to be done in the next week or two, but hopefully in the next one or two months we should be where we want to be. Right now I'm at a happy place. All I want to do and what the club wants me to do is to focus on the pitch, score the goals and help the team. I'm calm.. It's hard to talk to you guys about it because it's confidential stuff. I'm sure in due time you'll know about the details and get the answers you're looking for. All I can say now is that the conversations are going well. We'll see what happens," Kane said (as captured by iMiaSanMia)
Kane's contract expires at the end of this season, but both sides seem to be confident that a deal will get done to keep the England captain in Bavaria. His comments on Thursday are consistent with updates from Bayern front office officials over the past months.
Where is your confidence level that Kane will remain with Bayern Munich after this season? Let us know in the comments.
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#club #calm

Back in August, Bayern Munich's Jamal Musiala collapsed on the pitch in consecutive matches only three days apart from each other. There was outside concern that his professional career might be over. He quickly attributed the issue to a change in medication for a known issue but his critics were far from convinced.
A short three weeks later, Musiala was back in the starting XI of a Champions League match. After Bodø/Glimt was forced to replace their goalkeeper at halftime, Musiala jumped on a loose ball and scored the eventual game winner.
Bayern’s 900th goal in European competition 👏 pic.twitter.com/AKNiTIBUkx
In the postgame interview (via iMiaSanMia), Vincent Kompany praised Musiala for his efforts.
"Everyone was happy for him, 75k people in the stadium and the people in front of their TVs," said Kompany. "We knew his moment would come. He scored a really important goal. It's great for Jamal, hopefully the focus now will only be on his performances. He knows how to deal with the other topic and will continue to get all support from us."

#musiala #back #three #ISSUE

Bayern Munich scored five goals against Norwegian underdogs FK Bodø/Glimt. The rust in the Bavarians was evident as they struggled to build rhythm. The second half turned out to be a much better affair as Vincent Kompany's men found their feet and blew their opponents away.
Alphonso Davies, Joshua Kimmich and Michael Olise were frontrunners who woke the rest of the team up with their individual brilliance and finally reaped their rewards in the second half with deserved goals and ***** ists. Luis Diaz had an off day and was perhaps the only starter who couldn't pick himself up before the end of the game.
Without further ado, here are the match awards from Bayern Munich's first game and first victory of the Champions League season.
While Bodø/Glimt as a unit were fantastic in capitalizing on Bayern's rustiness by isolating the attackers, they failed to make scoresheet gains. In Bayern's emphatic attempts to crack the Bodø code, there were a few vulnerabilities especially early into the game. With some more numbers, the Norwegians could have sneaked at least one goal. Helmersen's shot at Neuer's open goal was a brave lone effort from his pressing.
Nonetheless, Kjetil Knutsen and his team deserve a shoutout for executing a great low-block. Nikita Haikin, the starting goalkeeper made some important saves and kept the game even. Unfortunately, he had to leave the pitch after the first half due to injury.

#munich

UEFA Champions League
Bayern Munich 5 - 0 Bodø / Glimt FT
Harry Kane's goal was his third of the season for Bayern Munich [AFP via Getty Images]
England captain Harry Kane scored his 55th Champions League goal and Michael Olise struck twice as Bayern Munich began their campaign by comfortably beating Bodo/Glimt.
Vincent Kompany's side will be looking to improve on last season, when they reached the semi-finals.

#bayern #league #harry #uefa

Watch highlights from this week's Champions League
Man Utd v Sabah at 20:00 BST
Read the remarkable journey of Sabah's coach
Bayern Munich v Bodo/Glimt, Como v RB Leipzig & Slavia Prague v Lens
England's Archie Brown scores for Fenerbahce against Roma

#champions #bayern

Bayern Munich will face Bodo/Glimt in their first Champions League game of the new campaign on Thursday night at the Allianz Arena.
The Bavarian giants are loaded with top-class attacking talent, but they can become even stronger with Jamal Musiala returning to full fitness.
Ahead of the match, here is the latest injury update on Bayern Munich's players.
Back in August, during pre-season, Musiala complained of dizziness and circulatory problems before collapsing on the pitch.
In July, Musiala underwent a minor, planned operation after returning from the World Cup. The club removed the metal plate from his foot, and it was expected that he would be able to play without any pain.

#bodo #champions #thursday

Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images For Premier League
The Ballon d'Or's official website has been confirming some of their nominees for the 2026 award ceremony throughout Tuesday, with **** nal receiving nominations in a number of categories.
The first nomination was for Men's Club of the Year, and **** nal are up against Bayern Munich, Bodo/Glimt, Flamengo, and Paris Saint-Germain for the award. The Gunners' Premier League trophy and two final appearances, including the Champions League final, are behind the nomination.
Next came the Men's Coach of the Year nominations, with Mikel Arteta joining Spain's Luis de la Fuente, Aston Villa's Unai Emery, Bayern Munich's Vincent Kompany, and Paris Saint-Germain's Luis Enrique on the shortlist.
Arsenal's successes are again the obvious motivating factor behind Arteta's nomination.

#league #arsenal #bayern

Vincent Kompany and Bayern Munich have received a major injury boost ahead of their opening UEFA Champions League game against Bodø/Glimt on Thursday. Serge Gnabry, who hasn't played since last season's Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid in April, returned to full team training on Monday, according to Bild.
Eager to make up for lost time following his adductor tear, it's quite possible that Gnabry could return to the squad as early as Thursday, which could have consequences for summer signing Ismael Saibari. The duo will compete for the No.10 spot behind Harry Kane, a position that has also been occupied by fellow summer arrival Nathaniel Brown, in the absence of Jamal Musiala.
Kompany, therefore, has plenty of options to keep things interesting. Notably, following Bayern's 0-0 draw against Bundesliga returnees Schalke 04, Didi Hamann criticised Saibari's performance. "Saibari is a wonderful footballer," he told Sky90. "But he's too slow. He's not fast at all, he's like a poor Kane.
"They say Saibari can play four positions. I think the only position Saibari can play is behind Kane, because he's too slow on the wing. Gnabry is a class above him there."
GGFN | Daniel Pinder

#kompany #league #following

Just a few days after learning its list of opponents for the Champions League league phase, Bayern Munich now knows its schedule as well.
Fans will probably want to circle a few particular dates — October 21st vs. ******* nal, November 3rd vs. Atlético Madrid, and January 20th vs. ******* nal. Here is the schedule (all start times listed in local time):
Matchday 1: FC Bayern vs. FK Bodø/Glimt – September 10, 2026, 9 p.m.
Matchday 2: Viking Stavanger vs. FC Bayern – October 13, 2026, 9 p.m.
Matchday 3: FC Bayern vs. ******* nal – October 21, 2026, 9 p.m.
Matchday 4: Atlético Madrid vs. FC Bayern – November 3, 2026, 9 p.m.
Matchday 5: OSC Lille vs. FC Bayern – November 25, 2026, 9 p.m.
Matchday 6: FC Bayern vs. Slavia Prague – December 8, 2026, 9 p.m.
Matchday 7: Manchester United vs. FC Bayern – January 20, 2027, 9 p.m.
Matchday 8: FC Bayern vs. Real Betis – January 27, 2027, 9 p.m.
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#bayern #tico

Bayern Munich's Champions League league phase opponents were revealed in Thursday's draw — and players and fans alike are reacting positively. It is an entertaining slate of games in store, from a chance for payback against **** nal as well as a matchup against last season's darlings from Norway, Bodø/Glimt.
Bayern forward Serge Gnabry broke down the draw and singled out one of the two LaLiga teams in the lineup as one he was personally anticipating.
"We're hoping for another strong league phase in the Champions League. I'm really looking forward to the game in Madrid against Atlético," Gnabry shared in comments captured by iMiaSanMia. "We played **** nal last season, and that will be another very good and interesting match at home for us. Bodø/Glimt were the surprise package of the competition last year. Manchester United are on the rise, so that will be a great matchup in a fantastic stadium.
"Real Betis, Slavia Prague, and Lille are also very good footballing sides who performed well last season. There are some exciting and thrilling games ahead, and we're really looking forward to them."
For now, the Bavarians have a Bundesliga opener to look forward to against VfB Stuttgart.

#last #bayern #glimt #we 're

"These are exciting matches that we can look forward to. With Inter Milan, Villarreal CF, and Bodø/Glimt, we'll be facing three familiar opponents from last season, while at the same time, AEK Athens and Sabah FK – two teams we've never played before – are waiting for us. That's certainly exciting, especially since we still have a score to settle with Inter and Bodø from last year. Our minimum goal is to reach the Round of 16 – ideally, we'll achieve that within these eight games."
Ole Book: "We're looking forward to eight very interesting and athletically challenging matches. With **** nal and Inter Milan, we'll be facing the English and Italian champions. We'll show that we don't have to shy away from even the best teams in Europe."
Niko Kovac: "Exciting matches await us, and we'll take every opponent very seriously. We performed very well in London during our preseason preparations, and now we want to confirm that under competitive conditions. We're now eager to see how the games will be scheduled. I can **** ure you: We'll be ready for the opener."

#Inter #forward

Everything was on the line at the draw in Monaco. The four home and four away opponents for the 2026–27 season have now been determined. UEFA will announce the exact dates of the matches by Saturday. Today, Thursday, former star strikers Thierry Henry and David Villa began by drawing the opponents for all 36 participating teams.
BVB already faced three of its eight opponents last year: At SIGNAL IDUNA PARK, BVB will once again take on Inter Milan and Villarreal CF—and these two matchups cannot be repeated next year—and will also face FK Bodø/Glimt from Norway again, though this time on the road. The other home opponents are Real Betis from Seville and AEK Athens—both of which will be first-time opponents! Away from home, Borussia will face Bodø/Glimt, as well as ******* nal, Aston Villa, and Sabah FK in Azerbaijan.
Inter MilanThe 21-time Italian champions have reached the Champions League final twice in the past four seasons. Inter has won the trophy three times (most recently in 2010), but suffered a surprising defeat last season in the Round of 16 against Bodø/Glimt—a team that shocked more than just BVB. BVB lost the head-to-head match against Inter 0–2. There will be a reunion with Manuel Akanji and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
Real BetisReal Betis Balompié, known as Real Betis for short or simply Betis—that's the name of Spain's 1935 champion and three-time cup winner. Their greatest international achievement was reaching the final of the 2025 UEFA Conference League. Former Borussia player Marc Bartra (pictured) played a key role in helping the team finish fifth in La Liga last season, thereby qualifying for the Champions League for the second time in the club's history. BVB has not yet faced Betis in a head-to-head match.
FC VillarrealThe second Spanish opponent—which finished third last year—comes from Pot 3, even though it made a splash internationally by winning the 2021 UEFA Europa League and reaching the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League the following year. In last season's league campaign, however, "the Yellow Submarine" finished in 35th place with just one point earned. At SIGNAL IDUNA PARK, BVB won 4-0.

#time #champions #year

BVB was placed in Pot 2 during the draw held this Thursday evening in Monaco; the team will face three repeat matchups and has two challenging away trips ahead. BVB will play each of these eight opponents only once—for a total of four home games and four away games.
At SIGNAL IDUNA PARK, BVB will face Inter and Villarreal in their current home jerseys, just as they did last year, as well as Real Betis and AEK Athens. The away trips will take them to London (Arsenal), Birmingham (Aston Villa), northern Norway (Bodø/Glimt), and Baku in Azerbaijan (Sabah FK).
The match dates have not yet been set. UEFA plans to announce them by Saturday at the latest.
Reactions to the draw, background on the format, and details about the opponents will follow later this evening. Tickets for the first home game will be available starting September 1 (12:00) in the online ticket shop. Advance sales will begin first for club members. Boris Rupert

#home #evening #face #four

Holders Paris Saint-Germain will host Spanish ***** leholders Barcelona and visit Manchester City among their eight Champions League games this season, while Bayern Munich welcome ***** nal but go to Atlético Madrid and Manchester United in their list of fixtures.
The league phase draw carried out by former stars Thierry Henry and David Villa in Monaco on Thursday also paired record winners Real Madrid with English ***** leholders ***** nal, Italian champions Inter Milan, RB Leipzig and Austrian debutants LASK in some of their eight matches.
The dates and order of the fixtures will be worked out in the coming days for the 36-strong league phase where each team plays a partly random selection of eight games based on seedings and other factors. The first league games will be September 8-10 and the last will be on January 27.
The knock-out stage then ensues, culminating in the final at Atlético's Metropolitano in Madrid on June 5.
Como of Italy have a dream date with twice defending champions PSG as well coach Cesc Fàbregas' former side Barça and United, while fellow tournament newcomers Viking of Norway entertain Bundesliga champions Bayern, who also meet Real Betis, Lille, Slavia Prague and Bodø/Glimt.

#games #real

FC Bayern can look forward to some exciting and high-profile fixtures in the league phase of the 2026/27 Champions League. As revealed by the draw on Thursday evening in Monaco, Germany's record champions will host ***** nal, Sevilla, Bodø/Glimt and Slavia Prague at the Allianz Arena. Away from home, the men from Munich will face Atlético Madrid, Manchester United, Lille and Viking Stavanger. Further information will follow shortly ...
The exact dates and timings will be published by UEFA by Saturday 29 August. Once the exact kick-off times have been confirmed, it will be possible to make match-specific ticket enquiries for FC Bayern's home and away matches.
Matchday 1: 8–10 September 2026
Matchday 2: 13/14 October 2026
Matchday 3: 20/21 October 2026

#october #league #exact #monaco

The final teams to qualify for the 2026/27 Champions League league phase were confirmed this Wednesday (26).
Seven clubs secured their spots this week after coming through the final playoff round.
The biggest clash was between Fenerbahce and Lyon, with the Turkish side coming out on top and returning to the main phase of the Champions League for the first time in 18 years.
Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia), AEK Athens (Greece), LASK (Austria), Sabah (Azerbaijan), Bodo/Glimt (Norway) and Viking (Norway) also qualified this week.
The league phase draw takes place this Thursday (27), determining the eight matchups for each participating team.

#norway #coming

Thus far, 2026 has been chastening for the fallen giants of world football. For Italy, it has been the year of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Bodo/Glimt, the Balkan team meaning a third consecutive World Cup took place without the Azzurri, the Norwegian side eliminating Inter Milan from the Champions League. There were other indications of decline – a Champions League table with the reigning Scudetto winners Napoli in 30th or Italy's sole representatives in the last 16, Atalanta, going down 10-2 on aggregate to Bayern Munich – and they combined to paint a bleak picture.
So if Serie A returns with the sense its best days are behind it, some of its historic forces have the same feel. And yet that provided some of the drama last season: two of Italy's three most decorated clubs, AC Milan and Juventus, spurned promising positions to miss out on Champions League qualification. They will instead be the biggest clubs in the Europa League after being leapfrogged by Cesc Fabregas' insurgents from Como. The third of Italy's traditional powers, Inter, cruised to their 21st Scudetto in Cristian Chivu's first campaign in charge; equalling his predecessor Simone Inzaghi's total of Serie A **** les was at least compensation for faring far worse in Europe.
His rivals this year are set to be a mixture of the familiar, with Serie A's capacity to recycle its managers, and an intriguing newcomer. A division where clubs have been starved of funds features two expensive arrivals from Paris St-Germain, charged with bringing goals to the underachievers, and a further influx of English defenders.
Chivu will share San Siro with Ruben Amorim who, in the way Serie A's fortunes have nosedived, seemed the man AC Milan ended up with rather than perhaps wanted, given interest in Oliver Glasner and Andoni Iraola. It is nevertheless an opportunity the Portuguese did not earn with his wretched spell in charge of Manchester United.
He will presumably import his flagship 3-4-3; whether Luka Modric, who turns 41 next month, wants to be in a central-midfield duo remains to be seen but Milan have backed Amorim by allowing him to make the biggest signing in the Serie A summer: his fellow Portuguese Goncalo Ramos for a club record €74m (£63.3m). It at least should ensure wingers Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic are no longer an ersatz strike duo, even if Amorim's record with centre-forwards was better in Portugal than England.

#serie #clubs #Inter

Soccernews report Borussia Dortmund defender Almugera Kabar is in advanced stages to join NEC Nijmegen on a loan deal. According to the Dutch source, Kabar is interested in the move as discussions between the clubs are going smoothly so far.
The left-back joined Dortmund's youth ranks in 2019. However, he has only made six Bundesliga appearances, including seeing a red card on his debut during the 2024/25 season. Unfortunately, Dortmund lost four games with the 20-year-old on the pitch.
According to the report, the clubs are in discussion for a loan deal as Kabar has a contract until 2028. Nijmegen surprisingly finished third in Eredivisie last term, which secured them a place in the preliminary rounds of Champions League.
They knocked out Olympiacos on Tuesday to progress to the final qualification round tie against FK Bodø/Glimt. Ex-Dortmund prospect Emre Mor scored the extra-time winner against the Greece giants, in front of his former teammate Edin Džeko. Schalke's striker was in the stands to support another teammate from his Fenerbahçe spell, Dušan Tadić.

#clubs

The 2026-27 UEFA Champions League is on to the playoff round, the final stage of qualifying before the 36-team league phase begins in September.
The playoff round features seven two-legged ties, with the winners advancing to join 29 other clubs who qualified directly for the league phase. The matches will be played on Aug. 18-19 with the second legs scheduled for Aug. 25-26 across Europe.
While the expanded format has taken some of the star power out of the playoff round in recent years, fans will be familiar with a handful of the participants including Scottish giant Celtic, Turkey's Fenerbahçe and last year's darling Bodø/Glimt from Norway.
Here's what to know for the playoff round and Champions League at large:
The UEFA Champions League streams exclusively on Paramount+.

#league

Union St Gilloise and Bodø/Glimt shared an incredible 11 goals over two games as they went head to head in qualification for the Champions League. In the end, it was the side from the Artic circle who came out on top, winning 3-2 in the second leg after extra-time. Union were certainly not helped by having Kamiel Van de Perre belatedly sent off just before extra-time, but Andreas Helmersen only struck with three minutes to go in the addition half hour to win the tie for Bodø/Glimt.
Bodø/Glimt will now go into the next round of Champions League qualification, while Union St Gilloise will drop into the Europa League for next season. Union had experienced Champions League football for the first time last season and were hoping to return, but faced a difficult tie against a Bodø/Glimt side that have been incredibly strong in Europe in recent seasons, especially at home. That Union were able to push Bodø/Glimt all the way in the north of Norway suggests they are in a good place to compete in the Europa League and push for the ******* le in the Belgian Pro League.
GBeNeFN | Ben Jackson

#league #union #time #head

Champions League
Bodø / Glimt
11 Aug 202617:00
Union Saint-Gilloise
Prediction:

#gilloise

After his first outing for Celtic, record signing Kasper Hogh joked that he needs some "shooting practice".
The Denmark international played the full game as Martin O'Neill's side beat Dundee 1-0 at Parkhead to kick off their Premiership **** le defence.
But how did Hogh fare on his first outing for his new club?
Having cost a reported £11m from Bodo/Glimt, Hogh will ultimately be judged on goals but he was unable to get off the mark at the first time of asking, although it is clearly too early to judge a player who only joined last week.
He generated an expected goals (xG) of 0.88, the highest of any Celtic player including goalscorer Benjamin Nygren (0.86).

#first #outing #goals #martin

Kasper Hogh, Celtic FC. Photo Celtic FC
The Denmark international completed his move to the Scottish champions from Bodo/Glimt, becoming one of Celtic's most expensive ever signings.
Under football's solidarity payment system, several of the striker's former clubs are entitled to a share of the fee in recognition of their role in his development.
That includes Danish fifth-tier outfit Vorup FB, where Hogh spent nine years as a youngster before continuing his career with hometown side Randers.
Vorup are now set to collect around £57,000 from the transfer, with the club planning to reinvest the money into its youth and grassroots setup.

#denmark

Kasper Hogh, Celtic FC. Photo Celtic FC
Celtic today completed the signing of Danish International striker Kasper Hogh in a record breaking £11 million plus deal from Bodo/Glimt, leaving most of us delighted, but also a bit surprised as none of us, understandably so, had any faith in our hierarchy getting top quality deals over the line.
The striker who also played for Randers, Hobro, Aab, and Stabaek, in his homeland was a previously a player of serious interest in the eyes of Celtic, but unfortunately a deal didn't come to anything, due to a combination of our club's lackadaisical attitude towards recruitment, and Bodo Glimt's reluctance to sell due to their participation in the latter stages of the Champions League.
Hogh is a player of great ability, and it's a real sign of intent from Martin O'Neill, who has shown that he means business going into the forthcoming campaign.
The Danish centre forward is a player of proven quality as his record of 53 goals in 104 appearances for the forward thinking Norwegian side testifies.

#hogh #player #quality

The club will hopefully announce Bodø/Glimt striker Kasper Høgh on a multi-million pound deal, after the Bhoys struck a record-breaking £11m transfer fee with the Norwegian side for his services.
News last night, as reported on Celtic Shorts, was that the big centre-forward has completed a successful medical in London ahead of the club confirming his signing on a four-year deal later today.
Martin O'Neill is in the marketplace for several more major targets, as the squad is in desperate need of refreshment following a close shave in Scottish football last year.
Hearts and Derek McInnes gave the 5IAR Champions a good run for their money, after Tony Bloom's initial involvement at the Tynecastle club, which could have easily been avoided, had proper investment in the playing squad been achieved last summer, as Brendan Rodgers continually pleaded for.
Now reports from Spain have confirmed that the World Cup star will return to pre-season training with the rest of his Real Oviedo teammates this midweek, as the Hoops' hierarchy has yet to strike an agreement with the Segunda Division side for the transfer to proceed. That is another frustrating update for Celtic supporters, but one that we are well used to, unfortunately.

#last #celtic #transfer

Celtic player Camilo Duran poses for pictures at Celtic Park, Glasgow on Thursday 23rd July 2026. Photo Andy Buchanan/Shutterstock
That game will be packed but today's friendly against a lightweight AC Milan side that will be missing multiple top performers, will not be well attended due to the Celtic support once again being frustrated and angry with the club for creating another summer of discontent through their inactivity in transfer market, so far only getting one deal over the line with the £5m signing of Camilo Duran from Qarabag.
That transfer fee has been more than covered by the sale of Luis Palma to Lech Poznan for £3.5m and Maik Nawrocki to RC Lens for £2m. And with Celtic CEO Michael Nicholson in discussions to sign four new players, it looks like the delay could be caused by an instruction to wait for sales of key players like Daizen Maeda and Arne Engels before proceeding with the purchases Martin O'Neill needs this week.
Maeda should compete his move to Ipswich Town today and that could result in Kasper Hogh from Bodo Glimt coming to Celtic early next week, fingers crossed anyway.
Meanwhile Celtic are haggling over a few hundred grand which is frustrating the move for German midfielder Mika Baur with SC Paderborn resisting the latest Celtic lowballing attempt for their player who has already agreed personal terms with the Scottish Champions and wants the move to happen.

#week

Celtic consider move for Serie A winger as former Rangers captain has talks with MLS club...
Celtic forward Daizen Maeda has completed a medical at Ipswich Town before a prospective switch to the Premier League. Sky Sports
Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton says the decision to seel Daizen Maeda before their Champions League qualifier tie is "utter baffling" and describes the reported free of £8m - rising to £10m as "buttons". Daily Record - subscription required
Celtic are exploring a deal to sign Lazio winger Matteo Cancellieri as Maeda's replacement. Football Insider
Bodo/Glimt want £8m for striker Kasper Hogh, while Paderborn will also hold out for big money for midfielder Mika Baur, both of whom have been linked with Celtic. Daily Record

#maeda #league #striker