Iheanacho explains why he chose Bursaspor despite Celtic interest

Kelechi Iheanacho says Bursaspor’s history and the strength of the club’s proposed project persuaded him to join the Turkish second-tier side, despite interest from Celtic.

The Nigeria international became a free agent after rejecting a new offer from Celtic in July 2026, following the breakdown of contract negotiations. He had spent the previous season with the Scottish club after mutually agreeing to leave Sevilla.

Iheanacho scored nine goals in 24 appearances in all competitions during the 2025-26 campaign, helping Celtic secure a domestic double after arriving in September 2025.

The 2013 Fifa U17 World Cup Golden Ball winner has since made a record-breaking start to the 2026-2027 season. He has scored in 12 consecutive matches, a run that has never previously been achieved in Turkish football.

Although Bursaspor’s interest was known to him, Iheanacho said his representatives handled the negotiations while he focused on playing.

“To be fair, I don’t talk about transfers. I really try to concentrate on my football. The transfer talks were done with the agents and directors,” he told Bursaspor’s official YouTube channel.

“Of course, I am aware of the transfer talks. I don’t really know how they were contacted, but I was told by my agent that Bursaspor were in contact.

“He explained everything to me in detail. I was happy, and I said yes. It’s a good and interesting place, according to how he told me about it.

“We went through everything together, and we saw it was a very concrete situation.”

Iheanacho said the club’s past was an important factor in his decision to move to Bursaspor, even though other European teams had also shown an interest.

“I said this is a good place to go, and they have a good history as well,” he added.

The forward also acknowledged that the move took longer than expected before the deal was completed.

“Moving forward, we delayed a little bit, but in the end, here we are now, enjoying every moment of it.”