O’Neill ‘pursuing’ new Iheanacho deal at Celtic

Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.

Martin O’Neill is keen to bring Kelechi Iheanacho back to Celtic and says the club are in talks to bring him back.

Iheanacho signed a one-year deal with Celtic in September last year, with the club having the option for another 12 months.

In 2025-26, Iheanacho played a key role in helping Celtic secure a dramatic Scottish Premiership title with a last-gasp win over Hearts on the final day.

The Nigeria international scored in their Scottish Cup final triumph – a 3-1 win over Dunfermline Athletic – and also netted five goals in 13 league games, only starting four of those.

He scored nine goals across all competitions, and O’Neill is hopeful Celtic can get a new deal over the line sooner rather than later.

“I’d like to do something with him,” O’Neill told reporters.

— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) July 8, 2026

“If we can do something relatively quickly, at least he then gets started in pre-season, which is really important for him.

“It’s something he didn’t have last year. After about three minutes, he was injured against Sturm Graz, and he then hurt himself in the League Cup final as well.

“I would like to have him. It would be nice. I’m definitely pursuing that at this minute.”

O’Neill also confirmed Celtic were trying to re-sign Marcelo Saracchi, who impressed during his loan spell from Boca Juniors.

Celtic’s pre-season is already underway after a 1-1 draw with Shelbourne in Dublin on Tuesday, while they start their Scottish Premiership season against Dundee on August 3.

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