Kyogo Furuhashi’s time in France looks to be coming to an early end, just six months after joining Rennes from Celtic in a £10million move.
The striker was brought in during the January transfer window, but Jorge Sampaoli who signed him didn’t last long and was quickly shown the door. Sampaoli later admitted he didn’t have the final say when it came to Kyogo’s signing.
His replacement, Beye, clearly didn’t fancy him and left him out of the squad for much of the run-in.
With Kyogo now well out of the plans in France, Rennes are weighing up their options. They’re open to letting him go permanently, but they have been ‘flooded’ with loan offers according to L’Equipe.
A number of clubs are said to be interested in taking him. Birmingham City have been strongly linked. Now back in the English Championship after promotion, they’ve shown a willingness to sign players with experience in Scottish football. Former Celtic midfielder Tomoki Iwata joined them last summer, and Kyogo could follow a similar path.
Kyogo enjoyed a fantastic spell in Glasgow, scoring goals for fun and becoming a huge part of the Hoops’ recent success. A loan move back to the Hoops would make a lot of sense if the club were willing to take him on and Rennes were happy to do business.
Right now, there’s no sign of an official approach from Celtic, but the situation is developing. With Rennes keen to move the player on and interest coming from several clubs, decisions will need to be made soon.
It’s clear that things haven’t worked out for Kyogo in France. A move away looks likely, and a number of Celtic supporters will be keeping a close eye on what happens next.
Celtic has been a poorer side since Kyogo left. Even when he wasn’t scoring goals, his movement around the box was dragging defenders all over the place and opening gaps for others. Bring the wee man back – he’ll be all the more fired up for next season given his bad experience in France. Why take chances on an unknown when Kyogo is available? Bring him home!