Celtic have agreed to sell striker Moussa Dembele to Lyon, hours before the transfer deadline closes.

The Scottish champions confirmed the decision shortly before the French club announced a €22m fee and that Dembele had agreed a five-year deal.

The agreement ends a tumultous 48 hours that had seen the player sent home from training after social media messages appearing to criticise the club's behaviour.

Manager Brendan Rodgers insisted that any proposed deal had to be in the best interests of the club and in a statement on the club's official website confirming the transfer, he suggested that the ongoing situation meant that Dembele's departure was the best course of action.

Rodgers said: "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."

The proposed move had been revived after two days when the striker's relationship with the club appeared to have broken down.

An inital offer from Lyon was rejected with Brendan Rodgers explaining that although it was a "significant bid" it did not leave time to recruit a replacement. He said that any move had to work for the club as well as the player. Dembele was not included in the squad for Celtic's match against Suduva on Thursday evening with Rodgers saying he was not in the right state of mind to play.

On Thursday night, messages from Dembele's Twitter account suggested he was unhappy at being denied a move

Dembele trained with his teammates on Friday, but his session lasted only 15 minutes after a quick chat with Rodgers saw the Frenchman leave the training ground.

Rodgers said he felt it was best for Dembele not to train with the squad and said he was only looking to protect the club.

The move will see Celtic make a huge profit on a player recruited two years ago from Fulham on a deal believed to be in the region of £500,000.

The France Under-21 striker made an immediate impact with Brendan Rodgers' new team and has been a key part of Celtic winning back-to-back Trebles.