Who is prospective new Celtic signing Hassan?

Haissem Hassan featured for Egypt against Argentina at this year's World Cup [Getty Images] Having burst on to the World Cup stage this summer, breakout star Haissem Hassan now appears bound for Celtic. The Egypt winger is said to be set for a medical in Glasgow after Celtic reportedly agreed an initial £6m transfer fee with Real Oviedo that could rise to £9m. It would end a signing saga and take Celtic's haul of new recruits this summer to three as the hugely-important Champions League play-off with LASK looms large. Martin O'Neill has stated his desire for quality over quantity in replenishing a squad from which more than dozen players have departed since last season's league and Scottish Cup double success. So, why have Celtic zoned in on Hassan and what will he bring? Celtic hope to complete Hassan deal soon - Scottish gossip 'Celtic fans are going to fall in love with him' - Hogh makes his mark Fruitful World Cup & almost upstaging Messi Hassan played just 126 minutes at this summer's World Cup, but it was enough to send his reputation rocketing. He did not feature in any of Egypt's Group G matches against Belgium, Iran and New Zealand, with head coach Hossam Hassan later revealing it was down to a paperwork delay in registering the former France youth international. Hassan was finally unleashed as a second-half substitute in Egypt's last-32 penalty shootout win over Australia - before delivering a standout performance against Lionel Messi's Argentina. A left-footer deployed on the right flank, he started the last-16 match and set up Mostafa Zico's goal, skipping past Enzo Fernandez before drilling in a precise delivery, as Egypt moved 2-0 up only to ultimately lose 3-2 to the defending champions and eventual beaten finalists. However, it was the Egyptians' infamous disallowed goal that showcased Hassan's direct running and dynamic dribbling qualities. Bursting forward from the right-back area, he evaded two challenges in a 60-yard run before threading a pass through for Mo Salah to tee up Zico. Across his two World Cup performances, Hassan registered nine dribble attempts at a rate of 6.4 per 90 minutes. If Celtic had hoped to keep their interest in the 24-year-old under the radar, that prospect was blown out of the water with his impact on football's biggest stage. What is Hassan's back story? Hassan was born in France and represented Les Bleus at Under-17 and Under-18 level before making his senior international debut for Egypt, his father's birthplace, earlier this year. He started his club career in central France at Chateauroux, featuring initially for their B team and then the senior team in the lower leagues. A move to Spain's Villarreal followed in 2020, turning out for their B team then Mirandes on loan before returning to the Yellow Submarine for his first taste of top-flight football in La Liga. He was then loaned to Sporting Gijon and stayed in the second tier before a move to current club Real Oviedo in 2024. He helped the club win promotion in his first season, scoring four goals and setting up three, but the going was far tougher in La Liga last term. Hassan contributed three assists and couldn't muster a goal in 37 appearances, 20 of those from the start, as Oviedo finished bottom to immediately drop back down. His xG (expected goals) of 0.15 last season hints at a paucity of clear chances in a team that were the lowest scorers in the division by a distance. Where will he fit in new-look Celtic attack? Kasper Hogh is an out and-out-striker while fellow new arrival Camilo Duran, who can play wide or through the middle, is left-footed but has been deployed on the right wing in Celtic's opening two games of the season. That right-wing berth will likely become Hassan's, with Duran shifting over to the left in place of Yang Hyun-jun. Manager O'Neill has also hinted at going with two up front, which would mean a Hogh-Duran front pairing and Hassan providing ammunition on the right and Yang on the left. That would give Celtic a similar attack to Gordon Strachan's era as manager, when Shunsuke Nakamura and either Aiden McGeady or Shaun Maloney operated as inverted wingers supporting a central pair of strikers, typically Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink with Giorgios Samaras or Scott McDonald. Celtic's link-up play really stretched Kilmarnock in the 5-1 weekend win, with hat-trick hero Hogh coming deep and going long to combine with his team-mates. Celtic's wingers and midfielders got into advanced positions throughout, with three different players providing assists for Hogh's goals. In short, Hassan would offer Celtic a fresh and exciting option in a fluid attack. Visit our Celtic page for all the latest news, analysis and fan views Get Celtic news notifications in the BBC Sport app