Celtic Had €8m+ Ibrahima Diaby Bid Rejected — Now He’s Been Sold for €13.5m

The Celtic Ibrahima Diaby bid has suddenly become much more interesting after fresh details emerged about the midfielder’s move to Al-Ahli.

Transfer reporter Ben Jacobs has revealed that Celtic had an offer worth more than €8million rejected for the 19-year-old during the summer.

Now, just weeks later, Diaby has left Cercle Brugge for Al-Ahli in a deal which could eventually reach €13.5million.

That should raise an obvious question at Celtic.

If the club rated Diaby highly enough to offer more than €8million, why did the pursuit apparently end there?

Celtic Ibrahima Diaby bid raises questions

Belgian outlet Het Nieuwsblad reports that Celtic showed serious interest in Diaby earlier in the window and submitted at least one offer.

At that stage, Cercle Brugge were reluctant to sell.

However, Al-Ahli later entered the race. The Saudi side eventually made an offer Cercle considered too good to reject.

Reports suggest the deal is worth around €10million initially, with another €3.5million potentially arriving through bonuses.

There is an important distinction here.

It would be unfair to simply claim Celtic could have signed Diaby for €13.5million. Wages, the player’s preference and the structure of any deal all matter.

However, the revelation still deserves scrutiny.

Celtic had clearly identified Diaby as a major target. You do not offer more than €8million for a teenager unless your recruitment department believes he has serious potential.

Yet Celtic reportedly did not return with an improved proposal.

Another Celtic transfer that got away

Diaby only joined Cercle Brugge from Paris Saint-Germain last summer.

He made 32 appearances during his first season in Belgium, scoring twice and providing two assists.

His performances and enormous potential clearly attracted Celtic.

The frustrating part for supporters is that this feels familiar.

Celtic identified the player. They made an ambitious offer. The selling club said no.

Then the trail went cold.

A matter of weeks later, another club paid the money required to get the deal done.

Perhaps Celtic were right to walk away at the price Cercle eventually demanded. Only time will tell whether Diaby develops into a player worth considerably more.

However, when Celtic are prepared to bid more than €8million for a 19-year-old, supporters are perfectly entitled to ask why the club did not push harder for a player they obviously rated so highly.

Key Takeaways

• Ben Jacobs reports Celtic had a bid exceeding €8million rejected for Ibrahima Diaby.
• Het Nieuwsblad says Celtic made at least one offer but did not return with an improved bid.
• Al-Ahli have now signed the 19-year-old in a deal worth up to €13.5million.
• Celtic’s decision not to push the deal further raises another question about their summer transfer strategy.