Celtic look set to lose one of the top performers before the end of the January transfer window as Kyogo Furuhashi closes in on a £10m exit from Parkhead.
Rennes are reportedly in advanced talks to sign the Japan international on a permanent deal, after three-and-a-half years for the striker in Glasgow.
Kyogo is set to end his Hoops career with an excellent return of 85 goals and 19 assists in 165 appearances and Brendan Rodgers is going to lose a reliable source of goals.
The January transfer window slams shut next week and that means that there is still time for the club to source a replacement for Kyogo, with Brondby striker Mathias Kvistgaarden reportedly in their sight.
The asking price for Mathias Kvistgaarden
Football Insider have reported that the Danish side are looking for a fee of around £10m to sanction a transfer for their star forward midway through the season.
The outlet claimed that Celtic are plotting a late swoop for the Denmark U21 international before the deadline to come in and replace Kyogo, alongside a move to bring Rennes winger Jota back to Parkhead for a second spell.
Kvistgaarden has struck ten times and registered four assists in 15 appearances in the Superliga so far this season for Brondby, which suggests that the 22-year-old ace could come in to replace the goal threat that they are set to lose with Kyogo’s exit.
£10m is a hefty sum of money to spend on one player for Celtic, but they have already proven that they can hit the mark with big-money additions by hitting the jackpot with Arne Engels.
Celtic have struck gold with Arne Engels
The Scottish Premiership champions bolstered their squad last summer by smashing their club-record transfer record with the £11m signing of the Belgium international from Augsburg.
It was a big gamble to sign a 20-year-old, at the time, for such a huge fee but it is one that already looks to be paying off, as he has been instrumental in the club’s success in the Champions League.
The Hoops have qualified for the play-off round of the competition, after being knocked out in the group stage last season, and his form has been key to that.
Appearances
7
Goals
1
Assists
3
Key passes
15
Duel success rate
57%
As you can see in the table above, Engels, who has produced seven goals and nine assists in all competitions, has offered a big threat in the final third whilst holding his own in physical duels in the middle of the park.
His impressive performances for Celtic, domestically and in Europe, have also seen his transfer value soar. At the time of writing (27/01/2025), FootballTransfers have his Expected Transfer Value at a whopping €16.9m (£14.2m), which is over £3m more than what the Hoops paid for him last summer.
This shows that the Scottish giants have hit gold with a developing talent who can provide quality on the pitch in the here and now whilst still having the potential to grow in value throughout his time at Parkhead, which may also be the case with Kvistgaarden if they can strike a deal for his signature in the coming days.
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Hopefully, Engels, who was described as “fantastic” by captain Callum McGregor, can continue to shine for the rest of the season and beyond.