Former Lyon, Celtic forward Dembele buys second-tier Lithuanian club Minija

VILNIUS, Lithuania :Former Celtic, Olympique Lyonnais and Fulham striker Moussa Dembele has bought FK Minija Kretinga, the Lithuanian club confirmed on Monday.

Minija, based in the city of Kretinga and sitting in ninth place in the Lithuanian second tier standings, have been acquired by investment group Triple M Sports Investments Limited - in which Dembele is a director.

Triple M Sports Investments Limited also owns AS Mansa in Mali.

"They now know more about Kretinga than I do. This is a win not only for Kretinga but for all Lithuanian football. We will now move from away from an amateur club to a professional one," club CEO Vidas Burba told Reuters.

Dembele, who signed for Saudi Pro League club Al-Ettifaq in 2023, made 94 appearances for Celtic between 2016-18, winning two Scottish Premiership titles. The 28-year-old was also part of Atletico Madrid's LaLiga-winning squad in 2021.