The Swedes were initially adamant that they would not sell their top asset this summerSebastian Tounekti is paraded as a Celtic playerSebastian Tounekti is paraded as a Celtic player(Image: SNS Group)

Hammarby chief Mikael Hjelmberg admits Celtic’s deadline day offer for Sebastian Tounekti was too good to turn down.

The Hoops finally landed Tunisia international Tounekti, 23, late on Monday night after having multiple bids rebuffed by the Swedes.

Celts sanctioned a £5.5million deal to prize Tounekti away from Hammarby – just eight months after his £1m arrival from Haugesund.

The Allsvenskan outfit’s sporting director Hjelmberg previously insisted Hammarby were not open to doing business for the winger.

But the Swedish top-flight side changed their mind as Celtic chiefs put forward a bid that they couldn’t refuse – and Tounekti expressed his desire to move to Glasgow.

Hjelmberg revealed: “Our ambition has always been to keep Sebastian during the summer window, but the final offer Celtic made was so lucrative that we valued the financial aspect in relation to what we would lose in terms of sport.

“With the options we have in our offensive positions, as well as Sebastian’s own will, the assessment is that the best thing for Hammarby is to accept Celtic’s offer.

“He has taken huge steps since he joined us last winter, and it is a good mark for the development environment we have in our operations, and an equally good mark for our scouting operations that we identified and brought in a player who has delivered at such a high level from the start.

“We wish Sebastian the best of luck.”

Follow Record Sport on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for all of the up-to-the minute breaking news, video and audio on the SPFL, the Scotland national team and beyond.

You can get all the news you need on our dedicated Rangers and Celtic pages, and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season. We’re also WhatsApp where we bring all the latest breaking news and transfer gossip directly to you phone. Join our Rangers community here and our Celtic community here.

Tune in to Hotline Live every Sunday to Thursday and have your say on the biggest issues in Scottish football and listen to Record Sport’s newest podcast, Game On, every Friday for your sporting fix, all in bitesize chunks.

You can also share your thoughts in our 2025 transfer window survey.