Maccabi Haifa Defender Lisav Issat Transfers to Bristol City for £2.5 Million

Maccabi Haifa officially announced the transfer of 21-year-old defender Lisav Issat to Bristol City, a Championship club in England. Issat, who played one season with Haifa's senior team, will sign a four-year contract with an option for an additional year, earning £700,000 per season. Bristol City will pay Maccabi Haifa €2.5 million, matching Issat's release clause.

Issat is expected to travel to Israel tomorrow before heading to the UK for medical examinations later this week. Over the past season, he made 33 appearances for Haifa across the league, cup competitions, and Conference League qualifiers, scoring one goal and providing two assists. He established himself as a key defensive player for the Israeli club.

In recent months, several Romanian league teams showed interest in Issat, but he preferred to move to a higher-level league following his breakthrough season. He has chosen to represent Romania internationally, having been called up to both the senior and youth national teams, with his FIFA registration under the Romanian federation finalized in 2025.

Bristol City finished 12th in the English Championship last season and were eliminated in the fourth round of the FA Cup and the second round of the League Cup. Their manager is Michael Skubala, and so far in the 2026 summer transfer window, the club has not signed any defenders until Issat's arrival.