Haissem Hassan is closing in on a move to Celtic after the Glasgow club reportedly agreed an initial £6 million fee with Real Oviedo — a figure that could climb to £9 million. The Egypt winger is understood to be travelling to Glasgow for a medical, which would make him the third summer signing for a Celtic side preparing for a crucial UEFA Champions League play-off against LASK.

A World Cup breakthrough

Hassan's reputation soared during this summer's World Cup despite managing just 126 minutes of action. He was absent from all of Egypt's Group G fixtures against Belgium, Iran, and New Zealand — head coach Hossam Hassan later attributed the omission to a paperwork delay in registering the former France youth international.

When he did appear, the impact was immediate. He came off the bench in Egypt's last-32 penalty shootout victory over Australia and then delivered a display that turned heads globally against Lionel Messi's Argentina in the last 16.

Deployed on the right flank despite being left-footed, Hassan started that match and contributed directly to Mostafa Zico's goal — skipping beyond Enzo Fernandez before delivering a precise cross. Egypt led 2-0 before Argentina fought back to win 3-2, but Hassan had already made his mark.

Perhaps even more eye-catching was his involvement in Egypt's disallowed goal. Collecting the ball deep in his own half, he burst past two defenders across 60 yards before threading a pass through for Mohamed Salah to lay off for Zico. Across his two World Cup appearances, Hassan completed nine dribble attempts at a rate of 6.4 per 90 minutes.

From France to Spain via the lower leagues

Hassan was born in France and represented Les Bleus at Under-17 and Under-18 level before choosing to represent Egypt — his father's country of birth — at senior level earlier this year.

He began his club career at Chateauroux in central France, working his way up from the B team to the senior squad in the lower divisions. A move to Villarreal followed in 2020, where he turned out for their B side before spending a loan spell at Mirandes. He eventually returned to the Yellow Submarine for his first taste of La Liga football.

Subsequent loan moves took him to Sporting Gijon and then permanently to Real Oviedo in 2024. He helped Oviedo win promotion in his debut season, contributing four goals and three assists, though his impact in La Liga last term was more modest — three assists and no goals in 37 appearances as Oviedo finished bottom and were immediately relegated. His expected goals (xG) figure of 0.15 reflected the scarcity of clear chances in a side that finished as the division's lowest scorers by a considerable margin.

Where Hassan fits in Celtic's attack

Celtic manager Martin O'Neill has spoken openly about pursuing quality over quantity this summer, with more than a dozen players departing since last season's league and Scottish Cup double.

The arrival of striker Kasper Hogh and versatile attacker Camilo Duran — who has operated on the right in Celtic's opening two matches — suggests Hassan would slot into the right-wing role, pushing Duran across to the left in place of Yang Hyun-jun.

O'Neill has also hinted at using two strikers, which would see Hogh and Duran lead the line with Hassan and Yang providing width. Celtic's 5-1 weekend victory over Kilmarnock offered a glimpse of this fluid approach, with Hogh — a hat-trick hero — combining expertly with teammates who rotated across advanced positions.

In that system, Hassan's direct running and dynamic dribbling would give Celtic a genuinely fresh attacking dimension.