Kyogo Furuhashi: Celtic Striker Poised for £10m Move to Rennes as Jota Nears £8m Return to Hoops
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has confirmed that the deals for Kyogo Furuhashi and Jota are expected to be completed within the next 24 hours.
Kyogo, the Japan international, is currently in France to finalize his £10m move to Rennes. Rodgers revealed that the 30-year-old had requested to leave Celtic four months ago.
The Celtic manager also stated that he plans to bring in another striker before the transfer window closes on February 3.
Meanwhile, Jota is set to return to Parkhead 18 months after his £25m move to the Saudi Pro League. Rodgers described his return as an “absolutely incredible addition” to the squad.
The 25-year-old forward struggled to settle at Al Ittihad before moving to France, where he failed to secure a regular spot in Rennes’ first team.
Despite this, Rodgers is excited to work with the player for the first time as Celtic aim to finalize an £8m move.
“He was one of the players I was really looking forward to working with when I came back the first time,” Rodgers said. “I’d watched him play for Celtic and saw the impact he had in terms of scoring and creating goals.
“Just before I arrived, it was clear he was leaving, which was disappointing.”
“The challenge, as I know from personal experience, is that when you’ve built a legacy, many people will advise against returning for fear of it being damaged in some way,” Rodgers said.
“My advice to him was, come back and use this opportunity to make that legacy even greater. Through my own experience, I know that when you’ve created a legacy, people will often tell you not to come back.”
“He has undeniable quality. There are still areas for him to develop, but he’s still young. If he continues to improve, I’ll be really excited to work with him.”
Kyogo wanted to join a club in one of Europe’s top five leagues.
Kyogo has been a key player for Celtic since joining the club in the summer of 2021 under Ange Postecoglou. However, Brendan Rodgers confirmed that the striker expressed a desire to leave for “a new challenge,” as his form for Celtic has not always been fully recognized by Japan’s national team coach, Hajime Moriyasu.
“Kyogo had expressed an interest in leaving a few months ago, and that desire became stronger over time until it reached the point where it was clear he very much wanted to move on,” Rodgers said.
“Unfortunately, we had to accept that and start working on a deal to finalize his departure. He’s been an incredible player for the club over the past three and a half years, and he’s someone we didn’t want to lose, but we have to respect where he’s at.”
Rodgers acknowledged that while the Scottish league may not be considered one of the top five leagues in the world, it provides an opportunity for players to develop and showcase their talent at a very high level.
“When I arrived, Kyogo hadn’t scored a goal in the Champions League. If he leaves, he’ll have proven that he can play at that level,” Rodgers said.
“The Japan squad has many talented players, but I believe you can show your abilities by being here, winning, playing the style of football we play, and competing at the highest level. You can still achieve everything you want from that position.”
