Celtic Signs Haissem Hassan for Reduced Initial Fee
Celtic’s long pursuit of Haissem Hassan has ended with a signing that looks a lot cheaper up front than many expected.
The Egypt international finally arrived from Real Oviedo this week after a drawn-out summer saga, during which figures of up to £9 million were floated around the winger’s name. That number always felt hefty for a player stepping out of Spain’s second tier. Now reports from Asturias suggest the reality is far more measured.
The Real Cost
La Voz de Asturias claims Celtic have agreed an initial fee of around €5.5 million, with a further €2 million tied to performance-related bonuses. If every clause is triggered, the total package would climb towards €7.5 million, still comfortably below that earlier £9m talk.
The structure matters. Celtic’s guaranteed outlay is relatively modest, with the rest dependent on Hassan actually delivering in Glasgow – games, goals, appearances, team success, the usual triggers that decide whether add-ons ever see daylight.
Who Gets What
Even that €5.5m headline figure doesn’t all land in Oviedo’s bank account.
The Spanish club sold Hassan to Real Oviedo in 2024 for around €700,000, and Villarreal inserted a hefty clause at the time. According to the latest breakdown, Villarreal are due 40 per cent of Oviedo’s profit on this deal.
On a €5.5m fee from Celtic, Oviedo’s profit is estimated at roughly €4.8m. From that, Villarreal take their cut, which helps explain why reports in Spain suggest Oviedo will ultimately clear around €3.6m at this stage.
Oviedo have also protected their longer-term interest. They are said to have secured a 20 per cent sell-on clause – but crucially, it only applies to any profit Celtic make on a future transfer, not the entire sale price. If Celtic buy at €5.5m and later sell Hassan for, say, €10m, Oviedo’s share would be calculated on the €4.5m profit, not the full €10m.
Smart Business From Celtic?
From Celtic’s perspective, the key takeaway is simple: the guaranteed spend looks far lower than the early noise suggested.
The club have not officially confirmed any numbers, so these figures remain unverified. Yet the picture painted in Spain is of a deal that limits Celtic’s immediate financial risk while leaving room for upside if Hassan explodes in Scotland and attracts serious bids down the line.
The bonuses only kick in if he performs. The sell-on only bites if his value rises. For a 22-year-old winger with international pedigree and room to grow, that is the kind of gamble a club like Celtic is willing to take.
Now the numbers are roughly on the table, one question remains: can Hassan’s football justify the structure that has been carefully built around him?
