Man United academy graduate warns Celtic to seal Iheanacho deal

Former Scotland international Michael Stewart has urged the Celtic hierarchy to trigger the one-year contract extension for Nigerian striker Kelechi Iheanacho. 

Speaking on Premier Sports, Stewart noted the club's desperate scramble for a centre-forward earlier this season as the primary reason to secure the 29-year-old, whose initial one-year deal contains a club-controlled option that they have yet to officially activate. 

"He wants to stay. The deal is in place; I just think the club have the option," Stewart explained. "So they can trigger it if they want. It’s not as if they’re going to have to negotiate a deal here. The deal’s already in place; it’s just a question of whether they want to trigger it." 

Warning the Scottish champions against repeating previous recruitment errors, he added: "I would be very, very surprised if they weren’t [triggering it] because look at the debacle they had this season in terms of not really even having a striker, the window shutting, and then signing Kelechi Iheanacho because they didn’t have anything. So, I think he’s already there, the deal’s already effectively done."  

The push to permanently retain Iheanacho follows a spectacular career resurgence for the veteran forward, who defied expectations after he previously flopped during frustrating stints with Sevilla in Spain and Middlesbrough in the English Championship. 

Arriving in Glasgow as a late reinforcement, he crucially influenced Celtic's final run-in, registering an impressive nine goals across 24 appearances. 

His vital impact culminated in helping Martin O’Neil's side secure a domestic double; they captured the 2025/26 Scottish Premiership crown before Iheanacho himself came off the bench to score a decisive 72nd-minute goal in their 3-1 victory over Dunfermline Athletic in the Scottish Cup final on Saturday, May 23.