Celtic confirm third summer transfer as player with 'enormous potential' agrees long-term deal
Celtic have confirmed their third signing of the summer transfer window.
Celtic have announced their third signing of the summer after confirming a deal for Swedish international winger Benjamin Nygren from FC Nordsjælland for a reported fee of £1.2million, subject to international clearance.
The 23-year-old has put pen to paper on a five-year-deal at Celtic Park and becomes the club’s third arrival during the transfer window following the free transfer arrivals of Kieran Tierney and Ross Doohan from Arsenal and Aberdeen respectively.
The highly-rated attacker had been targeted by Anderlecht, FC Copenhagen and clubs in the MLS after a sterling season in the Danish top flight, where he scored 16 goals and registered four assists to earn a place in the Superliga Team of the Year. He also received widespread attention the season prior for scoring a hat-trick in a 6-1 Conference League thrashing of Fenerbahce in October 2023.
Beginning his career with hometown club IFK Göteborg, Nygren was regarded as player with “enormous potential” by Swedish outlet SportExpressen, and was linked to European giants such as Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan. However, it was Belgian club Genk who won the race for his signature, agreeing a record fee of €5million with the Swedish club for the then 17-year-old.
With regular game time hard to come by, he moved to Dutch outfit SC Heerenveen on a season-long loan, where he scored seven goals in 32 appearances, before signing for FC Nordsjælland in 2022, where he scored 35 goals in 106 appearances.
Rated as a bargain transfer by many, Celtic head coach Brendan Rodgers hailed the arrival of Nygren as an “exciting” move for the club.
“We’re delighted to have brought Benjamin to Celtic,” Rodgers told the club’s official website. “We’re all looking forward to working with him. He’s an exciting, quality player who will add to our attacking options in the squad. He’s a young player who’s already gained plenty of experience at club level, while his impressive performances last season also saw him gain his first caps for Sweden.
“Joining Celtic is the next step up in his career, and having spoken to him, he’s delighted to be here and is ready to take on the exciting challenges ahead at home and in Europe. He’s a player that I’m sure our supporters will enjoy watching and it’s great to have him as part of our squad.”
“I feel amazing to have signed for Celtic, it’s so nice to be here,” added Nygren. “I’m a player who wants to create a lot of chances and go towards goal. I’m a link between the defence and the offence and I can run a lot. I’m an offensive-minded player but I also work hard and try to do my best in all parts of the game.
“I’m a very competitive person and this is something that I love about Celtic. It’s a huge club and I love that. And, also, the winning mentality. I want to be with similar-minded people who also love to win.
The Swedish international could make his Celtic debut next Friday in the club’s first pre-season test, as the champions visit Scottish Championship outfit Queen’s Park on July 4.
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