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, marking their first major sale of the summer. Issat, who spent just 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 set to travel to Israel tomorrow before heading to the UK later this week for medical examinations. Over the past season, he made 33 appearances for Maccabi Haifa across league, cup, and UEFA Conference League qualifiers, scoring once and providing two assists. He emerged as a key defensive player during his breakthrough season.

In recent months, several Romanian league clubs showed interest in Issat, but he preferred to move to a higher-level league. He has chosen to represent Romania internationally, having been called up to both the senior and U21 national teams, with FIFA officially registering him under the Romanian Football Federation 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, Michael Skubala, has not signed any defenders so far in the 2026 summer transfer window, making Issat their first defensive acquisition.