Report: Sead Haksabanovic Set for Celtic Exit – Talks At Advanced Stage

Celtic winger Sead Haksabanovic is on the brink of an early summer exit, according to reports this evening. The Montenegro international, who spent last season on loan at Stoke City, appears to be heading for the door instead of rejoining the squad at Lennoxtown this week.

The latest development points to Haksabanovic’s transfer to Malmo, with the Swedish champions reportedly in the final stages of finalising a deal with Celtic.[FotbolDirekt]

Haksabanovic was initially brought to Celtic under Ange Postecoglou, showing early promise that had fans hopeful of his potential impact. However, his time at the club took a turn when Postecoglou left for Tottenham Hotspur last summer, leaving Haksabanovic with much to prove under new manager Brendan Rodgers.

Issues arose during Rodgers’ tenure, particularly following a social media post from Haksabanovic expressing frustration over his lack of Game time. The post, which has since been deleted, read, “If they don’t see their value.” This act led to a swift reaction from Rodgers, who addressed the situation in a press conference last August.

“To be fair, I’m not on social media, so I don’t know, but yeah, I did speak to him on it. I was a bit surprised, to be honest,” Rodgers said. “From when I came here, he has been offered nothing but respect by everyone and certainly by myself in terms of communication with him. But this is a new generation and a new wave of players, so yeah, but it doesn’t matter to me.”

Given the circumstances, it was improbable that Haksabanovic would find a place in Rodgers’ plans, and his actions ultimately sealed his fate. Now, as the details of the deal with Malmo are awaited, it remains to be seen if Celtic will recoup the investment they made in Haksa.

As much as we need new quality signings, part of the process is getting rid of players no longer needed at the club. Hopefully Sead is the first of many.