Kelechi Iheanacho has revealed he urged his agent to do everything possible to ensure his move to Bursaspor, even with a new contract offer from Celtic on the table.

The 29-year-old Nigerian striker signed a one-year contract with Celtic in September after leaving Sevilla, following a loan spell with Middlesbrough.

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The deadline for Celtic to extend Iheanacho’s contract by an additional year has passed, but manager Martin O’Neill expressed a desire for the forward to remain at the club, citing a new deal that was offered to him.

In contrast, last week, Iheanacho opted to join Bursaspor, who recently clinched the TFF Second League title and are now targeting a second consecutive promotion to the Turkish Super Lig.

In his first interview with his new club, Iheanacho expressed his happiness about the transfer, stating, “To be fair, Bursaspor is a big club in Turkey, and I had heard that they had previously won the Turkish Super Lig.”

“When I heard about their project, that they wanted to climb up to the Super Lig and also play in Europe, I said that this is a big project, and it’s very good for me to come and be involved and help the team.”

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“So I asked my agent to make sure he does everything possible to make sure I come to Bursaspor. My target is for us to go to the Super Lig.”

Comparing his new Bursaspor shirt to that of Celtic, Iheanacho noted, “It’s the same green and white, to be fair. I don’t know if it’s deja vu, like they say in French.”

“It’s the same shirt, but Celtic is a bit lighter green, Bursaspor is dark green. It’s a little bit different, but it’s all similar. It’s all good.”

In response to claims that Iheanacho was offered £47,000 per week to join Bursaspor, club president Enes Celik clarified that he will earn an annual salary of £1.2 million (£23,000 per week) and emphasized that Iheanacho chose “the project over the money” offered by other clubs.

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In addressing the departure of Iheanacho, O’Neill remarked, “There are two sides to every particular transfer as there is to every story.”

“I thought we had a deal with him at the time, but seemingly that wasn’t the case, and so he’s gone to pastures new.”