Celtic made a last-minute attempt to sign Ognjen Ugrešić, a 20-year-old Serbian and Hungarian central midfielder, after Partizan had accepted an offer from PAOK of Thessaloniki. The Glasgow-based club proposed a deal worth €6,500,000, which was €500,000 more than the Greek club's bid, and also included €1,500,000 in bonuses and a 10 percent sell-on clause. However, Partizan rejected the offer.
The club's president, Rasim Ljajić, stated that although the additional half a million euros would have been very significant for Partizan's finances, they had already made a commitment to the people at PAOK. He emphasized that maintaining the relationship between the clubs was more important than the extra profit from a potential transfer to Scotland.
Ugrešić is scheduled to travel to Thessaloniki to finalize his move, where he will undergo a medical before signing a five-year contract with the Greek club. The midfielder, who has four caps for the Serbia U21 team, has a current Transfermarkt market value of €10.00m. Prior to this, Partizan had reportedly rejected an €8 million package from Sassuolo and had an asking price of approximately €10 million in June 2026.
