Celtic are a club that are used to cashing in on their top talent when the summer transfer window rolls around, as teams across Europe eye up their star performers.
The likes of Virgil van Dijk, Odsonne Edouard, Moussa Dembele, Matt O’Riley, and Victor Wanyama are just a few of the players who have moved on from Parkhead in the modern era to go elsewhere in Europe.
As you can see in the graphic above, Jota is also among the list of players who have tried their luck away from Glasgow, albeit he went to Saudi Arabia instead of to another European side.
18 months on from that £25m move, the Portuguese forward returned to the club on a permanent deal from Rennes in the January transfer window, and caught the eye with four goals and two assists in seven Scottish Premiership starts before suffering a knee injury.
That was not the only business that they did with the French outfit in that window, though, as they also sold Kyogo Furuhashi to Rennes on a permanent deal.
The Ligue 1 side reportedly paid a fee of £10m to sign the Japan international from the Scottish giants, and it has turned out to be a fantastic deal for the Hoops and Brendan Rodgers.
Why losing Kyogo Furuhashi was not a blow for Celtic
The 30-year-old centre-forward scored 85 goals and provided 19 assists in 185 appearances in all competitions for Celtic during his time in Glasgow, which shows that he did offer a big threat in front of goal.
However, he only had a return of 12 goals in 32 matches for the Hoops in the 2024/25 campaign before his move to Rennes, which was not quite as prolific as his overall record makes him out to be.
Kyogo’s form had tailed off a bit towards the end of his time at Parkhead, and January felt like the right time to move on from him with a £10m offer on the table from Rennes.
The Japanese striker scored a staggering 27 goals in 36 league games in the 2022/23 season, but failed to replicate that success in the following two campaigns.
|
Kyogo (Premiership) |
22/23 |
23/24 |
24/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Appearances |
36 |
38 |
22 |
|
Goals |
27 |
14 |
10 |
|
Big chances missed |
16 |
24 |
17 |
|
Big chances created |
1 |
7 |
1 |
|
Assists |
2 |
5 |
3 |
As you can see in the table above, Kyogo missed a whopping 41 ‘big chances’ and scored 24 goals in his final 18 months at the club, which suggests that his finishing took a turn for the worse.
Therefore, losing him when they did was not a big blow for the Scottish giants, particularly when you consider that he has failed to score in six games for Rennes so far.
European club in talks to sign Celtic star
However, Celtic are now in danger of losing a star whose exit would be a bigger blow than when they decided to cash in on Kyogo at the start of the year.
According to German outlet Kicker, as relayed by Transfermarkt, RB Leipzig are interested in a swoop to snap up Nicolas Kuhn from Parkhead before the end of the summer transfer window.
The report claims that the Bundesliga outfit are in ‘advanced’ talks to agree a deal to sign the left-footed star, who spent time in their academy system earlier in his career.
Kuhn is named as one of three signings ‘on the horizon’ for Leipzig as they look to react to finishing seventh in the German top-flight in the 2024/25 season, but the report does not mention how much the potential move could be worth.
Why losing Nicolas Kuhn is a big blow
If the German side are able to complete a deal to sign the Celtic sensation in the weeks to come, the 25-year-old gem’s exit would be a bigger blow than when they sold Kyogo in January.
As aforementioned, the Japan international had declined during his Hoops career and was at a point where a move away from the club appeared to be a sensible decision for all parties involved.
Whereas, Kuhn is currently on top of his game and has just enjoyed an incredible first full season in Glasgow, thriving on the right flank as a scorer and a creator of goals for the Scottish giants.
The left-footed magician, who has been dubbed “breathtaking” by Marvin Bartley, ended the year with 21 goals and 15 assists in all competitions, which shows that he made a huge impact at the top end of the pitch.
His form in the Premiership, in relation to the rest of the Celtic squad, also illustrates how important he is to the team and why losing him would be such a blow.
|
24/25 Premiership |
Nicolas Kuhn |
Celtic rank |
|---|---|---|
|
Sofascore rating |
7.47 |
3rd |
|
Goals |
13 |
2nd |
|
Assists |
9 |
3rd |
|
Goals + assists |
22 |
2nd |
|
Big chances created |
11 |
3rd |
|
Key passes per game |
1.6 |
2nd |
|
Dribbles completed per game |
1.8 |
1st |
As you can see in the table above, Kuhn ranked very highly as a scorer, a creator, and a dribbler, for the Hoops in the Premiership, which is why a move to Leipzig would be a blow for the club, as they would be losing a hugely influential figure.
Incoming signing Benjamin Nygren plays on the right wing and scored 15 goals in 30 league games in Denmark this season, but he only provided two assists and may not cover for all of what Celtic would lose through Kuhn’s exit.
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Of course, nothing is signed and sealed yet, with these reports purely about talks at this moment in time, but there is the possibility that the Hoops will be deal a big blow by the winger’s departure this summer.
