CELTIC will have their original £2.5million fee from Bournemouth for Ryan Christie topped up to £4million after the south coast side sealed promotion back to the Premier League last night.
The transfer agreement was triggered after the Scotland international midfielder played his part in his team’s 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest at the Vitality Stadium.
It’s a good bit of business for the Parkhead club as Christie only had four months remaining on his contract that would have allowed him to walk away for free at the turn of the year.
HAMPDEN HERO…Ryan Christie slams in the League Cup winner against Aberdeen in December 2018.
The original amount was estimated to be between £1million and £2million, but the actual cash paid up front by the Championship side was £2.5million for the 27-year-old playmaker, as CQN reported in September.
Christie, who was bought by Ronny Deila for £500,000 from Inverness Caley Thistle in the summer of 2015, had the choice between top-flight Burnley and Bournemouth and he opted for the Cherries after being impressed in talks by manager Scott Parker and his plans for the team.
At the time, the Highlander won two trebles at the Hoops while scoring 42 goals – one the Betfred League Cup winner against Aberdeen in 2018 – insisted he wanted a fresh challenge away from the Premiership.
The stylish midfielder said: “I’ve done everything I wanted to do at Celtic in terms of achievements. So, my ambition is now to go and achieve something else in my career and, hopefully, get to play in the Premier League.”
Christie achieved his goal last night – and the Parkhead club cashed in with a £1.5million windfall.
