Celtic have confirmed that they have accepted an offer from Lyon for Moussa Dembele, with manager Brendan Rodgers explaining the reason behind the sale.
Dembele has been keen to join Lyon, but it appeared Celtic had shut the door on the Frenchman leaving after concluding they did not have sufficient time to sign a replacement.
The Scottish champions have given in though and accepted a bid of €20m plus €2m in bonus payments for Dembele, who was desperate to quit the club.
Rodgers has stressed that Celtic have been consistent with their stance of not wanting to sell Dembele and insisted that the striker was given no promises over a summer exit.
But the Celtic boss says that selling Dembele is the best move to make sure the solid environment created at the club is maintained.
Rodgers said in a statement: "Every decision we make at Celtic will always be in the best interests of the club and our supporters.
"It is vital to make clear that we have never promised any player that he can leave the club at a particular time.
"It has never happened. In fact, we have said all along that we did not wish to sell Moussa, given the circumstances within the transfer window and that is why we rejected a significant offer yesterday.
"However, this particular decision to accept this offer has been taken in order to serve the best interests of the first-team squad, my coaching team and the culture and environment we have created in these last two seasons.
"The Board and myself are united and they have been very supportive to me on this issue.
"Our real focus now turns to Sunday's match and beyond, working with our players here who are committed to doing all they can to ensure another successful season for the club.
"Finally, I would like to thank Moussa for his contribution in our last two seasons and want to wish him well in his new adventure at Lyon."
Dembele's move to Lyon is expected to be officially confirmed within a matter of hours.
