Hayes signs for Celtic as Christie returns to Aberdeen on loan

Celtic have made their first acquisition of the summer in Aberdeen winger Jonny Hayes.

The news was confirmed by the club’s official website as the 29-year-old put pen to paper on a three-year deal.

Aberdeen were reluctant to let their star man leave, but settled for a fee of around £1.3 million from the domestic treble winners.

Derek McInnes’ side were holding out for a deal that included Ryan Christie, although Celtic were unwilling to let the 22-year-old leave the club permanently and will instead join on a season-long loan.

Hayes scored 11 goals and provided 24 assists in all competitions last season for the Dons and scored the opening goal in last month’s Scottish Cup final.

Brendan Rodgers has worked with the winger previously at Reading and has been a keen admirer of the Irish international for some time.

Celtic are expected to offload a number of players this summer and add at least two more quality players before the window closes to compete in the Champions League.