Kelechi Iheanacho Leaves Celtic for Ambitious Bursaspor Project

Kelechi Iheanacho has walked away from a fresh offer at Celtic to chase an ambitious project in Turkey, insisting he pushed his representatives to get the Bursaspor deal done.

The 29-year-old Nigeria striker, who joined Celtic on a one-year contract in September after leaving Sevilla and a loan spell with Middlesbrough, could have stayed in Glasgow. A deadline for the Scottish champions to trigger a one-year extension came and went, yet manager Martin O'Neill later made clear he wanted Iheanacho to remain and that a new contract had been put on the table.

Iheanacho had other ideas.

He revealed he told his agent to "do everything possible" to secure his move to Bursaspor, turning his back on the chance to continue at a club chasing domestic and European honours for a side fighting its way back up the Turkish pyramid.

Bursaspor, winners of the TFF Second League last season, are pushing for a second successive promotion as they target a return to the Turkish Super Lig. It is a club with a recent taste of success and a fanbase desperate to reclaim its place among the country’s elite.

In his first interview after signing, Iheanacho’s enthusiasm for the challenge was obvious. He spoke of his happiness and excitement at the move, stressing the scale of the task and the pull of the club’s history, saying Bursaspor is a big name in Turkey and that he knew they had previously lifted the Turkish Super Lig title.

A forward who could have settled for security at Celtic has instead chosen the harder road: a promotion chase, a demanding new crowd, and the chance to help drag a fallen champion back to the top.