Former Celtic defender Johan Mjallby has named the fee the club should demand for star man Nicolas Kuhn amid reported interest from the English Premier League.
Indeed, German Sky Sports journalist Florian Plettenberg last night revealed that Fulham and Brentford have both ‘inquired’ about Kuhn and are ‘monitoring’ his situation following his sensational start to the season with the Hoops.
The 24-year-old has been on fire for the Bhoys this campaign, scoring 10 goals and assisting 11 across 17 appearances in all competitions.
Kuhn is only improving by the game and has come into the 2024/25 season a different animal.
The reported interest in him doesn’t come as much of a surprise, and, in the eyes of Mjallby, the club should be demanding a fee similar to what they sold Matt O’Riley for – £25m plus add-ons which takes the package to £30m – a few months ago.
The Swede spoke on Premier Sports’ Scottish Football Social Club last night, saying only an O’Riley-esque fee would see Celtic sell Kuhn: “I’m pretty sure they will do everything to keep him,” admitted Mjallby.
“He is on fire and in a way he is like a new signing this summer. For the first six months it was stop-start for him, he had this tooth problem and didn’t really show what he is all about. But he is perfect for the way Brendan Rodgers wants his team to play as well.
“It’s [a move] not going to happen [in January]. Maybe if they come in with a ridiculous bid – we are talking about Matt O’Riley figures – but if it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen next summer.”
With Kuhn contracted in Glasgow’s east end until 2029, Celtic are in a mightily strong position regarding any transfer interest. Given that the winger is consistently performing at both domestic and European levels, it wouldn’t be out of reach for the club to demand a record fee for his services.
Keeping hold of his prized asset in January will be a priority for Brendan Rodgers, but it remains to be seen what Kuhn’s situation will look like next summer if he continues with his current displays.