Lech Poznan have triggered the buyout clause for Luis Palma, handing Celtic a £3.5m boost ahead of a crucial summer rebuild under their next manager.
The Honduran winger impressed on loan in Poland last season and is now expected to make his move to the Polish club permanent following the trigger.
Palma had previously attracted interest from Spanish club Sevilla, but that pursuit faded and Poznan initially struggled to meet Celtic’s asking price.
Celtic refused to lower their £3.5m valuation, and a change of heart from the Polish side has now seen the option formally activated.
Lech Poznan club president Karol Klimczak addressed Palma’s future during the club’s title celebrations, expressing a clear desire to retain the winger.
Klimczak said: “It’s clear that we want to keep Luis Palma. We’re working on it. We want to sign him, it’s not easy, but we want to.”
Director Adrian Gałuszka added: “It’s no secret that Luis feels good in Poznan. He was a magician this season, put in important numbers and contributed to several important team results.”
Gałuszka continued: “We have to wait for the final decisions, which I suspect will be in the coming days.”
Celtic have also agreed to let Stephen Welsh leave the club 12 months before the end of his contract as the squad clearout gathers momentum.
Maik Nawrocki’s loan spell at Hannover could become permanent if the German club pay around £3m, though the Polish defender will be allowed to leave either way.
Celtic will also need to address the futures of Shin Yamada and Hayato Inamura, who spent last season at Munster in Germany and FK Tokyo in Japan respectively.
The Japanese pair signed long-term contracts but Celtic will not block their exits if suitable opportunities arise for either player this summer.
One player who will not be leaving is Callum Osmand, despite reported interest from West Ham in the striker who broke through under Martin O’Neill.
Osmand suffered a serious injury setback that cost him six months of the season, before returning to score the final goal of the campaign in the title showdown with Hearts.
He was originally promoted from the Celtic B team by pathways boss Shaun Maloney, who was assisting O’Neill during his interim spell in charge.
Maloney’s own future is expected to be resolved in the coming days as Dermot Desmond looks to finalise the managerial position at the club.
Desmond is in talks with O’Neill, who turns 75 next March and is considering whether he wants to remain in the role on a longer-term basis.
Robbie Keane is also in discussions with the Parkhead hierarchy after departing Ferencvaros at the end of last season, making him another option for the position.
Craig Bellamy features on the list of candidates as well, though the Wales manager stated this week he was not ready to leave his national team role at present.
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