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Moussa Dembele shares how close he came to Celtic stay, one thing changed his mind

Moussa Dembele of Lyon celebrates his goal during the french Ligue 1 match between Olympique Lyonnais (OL, Lyon) and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) at G...
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Ex-Celtic striker Moussa Dembele starred for Lyon on Sunday night.

Moussa Dembele of Lyon celebrates his goal during the french Ligue 1 match between Olympique Lyonnais (OL, Lyon) and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) at Groupama Stadium on February 3, 2019 in...

Lyon striker Moussa Dembele has told Telefoot, as translated by FourFourTwo, that he would have stayed at Celtic had Lyon not pushed so hard to sign him.

Dembele made his move to Celtic in the summer of 2016, leaving Fulham for a bargain move to Parkhead as Celtic only had to pay minimal compensation for the Frenchman.

Dembele become a hero at Parkhead, hitting 51 goals in 94 games for the Bhoys, scoring against Rangers regularly, including a hat-trick in his first Old Firm derby.

The 22-year-old was a goal machine for Celtic under Rodgers, but his exploits in Glasgow saw him become a wanted man around Europe.

A host of clubs were linked with Dembele even within months of his move to Celtic, and his departure finally came on deadline day in August 2018.

Moussa Dembele of Lyon celebrates his goal during the french Ligue 1 match between Olympique Lyonnais (OL, Lyon) and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) at Groupama Stadium on February 3, 2019 in...

Dembele has hit nine goals in 24 outings for Lyon this season, showing his goalscoring prowess in France and even scored a fine header against Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday.

Dembele spoke to Telefoot about his move yesterday, and suggested that he almost stayed with Celtic, but the determination of Lyon to sign him changed things for him, and he made the move, claiming that it was only Lyon or Celtic he was interested in playing for come deadline day.

“It’s a club with a great history, there was a project that interested me,” said Dembele. “And I felt the determination of the leaders to bring me to the club, and that was decisive in my choice to come to Lyon. [For me] it was Lyon or I [would have] stayed at Celtic,” he added.

Moussa Dembele of Celtic is seen during the Scottish Premier League match between Celtic and Hamilton Academical at Celtic Park Stadium on August 25, 2018 in Glasgow, Scotland.