Celtic may rip up player’s £350,000 contract to let him leave for free

Celtic midfielder Ismaila Soro could reportedly leave Parkhead for free, but there is interest from Beitar Jerusalem and Hapoel Be’er Sheva.

The Hoops have been busy so far this summer, with Brendan Rodgers returning as manager after Ange Postecoglou left for Tottenham.

Since then, a number of new players have arrived ahead of the 2023/24 season, the first of which was midfielder Odin Thiago Holm from Valerenga. Winger Marco Tilio then signed from Melbourne City, and he was followed by Polish defender Maik Nawrocki from Legia Warszawa.

Tomoki Iwata’s loan move has become permanent in Glasgow, and the club have also managed to sign winger Hyun-jun Yang from Gangwon FC and defensive midfielder Hyeok-kyu Kwon from Busan IPark.

In total, Celtic have spent just under €15m, but they have brought in around double after star winger Jota completed a big-money move to Saudi Pro League side Al-Itiihad. Goalkeeper Conor Hazard has also left on a permanent basis for Championship side Plymouth Argyle, and by the looks of things, Soro could also be on the way out over the coming days.

According to The Scottish Sun, Soro looks set to return to Israeli football this week after Beitar Jerusalem and Hapoel Be’er Sheva both made approaches to sign the player.

The report even claims that ‘Celtic are weighing up whether to rip up his contract and allow him to leave for nothing’, as he has no future in Scotland under Rodgers. The Hoops could still look to recoup a modest fee, but with around 43 weeks remaining on his £8,100-a-week contract, Celtic could seemingly rip up his remaining £350,000 deal.

Soro made the move to Celtic Park from Israeli side Bnei Yehuda back in 2020 in a deal worth €2.3m. Neil Lennon, manager at the time, said that Soro “stood out” in the Israeli top flight, however, things haven’t gone to plan for the player in Glasgow.

After joining, Soro did feature heavily in the remainder of the 2020/21 season, turning out on 23 occasions in all competitions. Since then, though, he has only managed a further 20 appearances, taking his overall tally to 43.

Lennon’s departure and Postecoglou’s arrival saw him fall out of favour, and he spent last season on loan with Portuguese side FC Arouca. Soro got plenty of game time in the Portuguese top flight, turning out on 30 occasions in total, but it does look as if a permanent transfer away would be best for all involved.

Celtic have eight alternative central midfield options to choose from without Soro, including new signings Kwon and Holm, whereas Iwata’s loan spell has become a permanent deal. Regulars Reo Hatate, Matt O’Riley and captain Callum McGregor are also expected to feature heavily under Rodgers, so there doesn’t appear to be room for Soro.

It will be interesting to see if Celtic let him go for free or look to bring in a low transfer fee, but by the looks of things, Soro’s days at Parkhead appear to be numbered.