Celtic have developed a strong reputation for buying players and then selling them on for a profit further down the line, and Nicolas Kuhn is the latest example of their expertise in player trading.
The German forward is closing in on a £16.5m transfer to Serie A outfit Como this summer, 18 months on from paying £3m to sign him from Rapid Vienna.
He is set to join that list above, between Odsonne Edouard and Moussa Dembele, and will be above some big names, including Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk.
The Netherlands captain joined the Hoops from Groningen and made 115 appearances before his £13m transfer to Southampton in the summer of 2015.
Celtic’s interest in Dutch defender
The Scottish Premiership champions could repeat the blinder they played with van Dijk by swooping to sign another Dutch central defender with potential this summer.
Celtic are reportedly keen on a deal to sign £3m-rated Famalicao centre-back Justin De Haas to bolster their options at the back, and a Dutch expert has told them what kind of player they could be getting.
An unnamed Voetbalzone reporter recently told 67HailHail: “He had a good season at Famalicao in Portugal and was part of the Team of the Week seven times. He’s tall, 6′ 4”, strong in the air and a good tackler. He’s strong on the ball and reads the game very well.”
They added: “He has gone a bit under the radar in Holland and I don’t expect Ronald Koeman to put him in his squad soon. But a move to Celtic could change things of course, as that’s a huge club.”
Why De Haas could be Celtic’s next van Dijk
At a fee of just £3m, there would be plenty of scope for Celtic to make a profit on the centre-back in the year to come if they manage to strike a deal for him this summer.
De Haas is 25 and heading towards the prime years of his career, which means that the Hoops could sign him at an optimal time right before his value potentially peaks, particularly if he earns a senior international call-up.
In terms of the quality that he could provide in the left centre-back role which is also where van Dijk played for the Hoops, you only have to
look at his performances in Portugal to see that he has the potential to be a solid addition for Brendan Rodgers.
In fact, De Haas faced Sporting superstar Viktor Gyokeres, who has scored 97 goals in 102 games for the club, and kept him quiet in April of last year.
|
Famalicao 0-1 Sporting (April 2024) |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Stats |
De Haas |
Stats |
Gyokeres |
|
Errors |
0 |
Goals + assists |
0 |
|
Pass accuracy |
90% |
Pass accuracy |
77% |
|
Blocks |
2 |
Shots |
2 |
|
Clearances |
2 |
Shots on target |
0 |
|
Interceptions |
2 |
Key passes |
1 |
|
Dribbled past |
0x |
xG |
0.11 |
As you can see in the table above, the 25-year-old defender silenced the highly-rated striker, who did not score a goal, have a shot on target, create a ‘big chance’, or assist a goal.
This shows that the 6 foot 4 titan can step up to lock down elite strikers when he is at his best, which shows the kind of level that he can get to.
De Haas ended the 2024/25 Liga Portugal season with 3.0 tackles and interceptions per game, more than any Celtic centre-back managed in the Scottish Premiership, which speaks to his ability to step in and cut out attacks on a regular basis.
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Celtic are interested in signing a striker who is even better than Giuseppe Ambrosino.
If Celtic can provide him with a platform to showcase his qualities in the Champions League and the Premiership, De Haas could develop into yet another highly-valued star who could follow in his countryman’s footsteps at Parkhead.
