Julius OkorieRennes are on the verge of signing Japan international and Celtic Forward Kyogo Furuhashi for around £10m, it has been revealed.
Kyogo has been a key player for the Hoops since arriving in Scotland in the summer of 2021 under Ange Postecoglou.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelHowever, his form for Celtic has not always been recognised by Japan boss Hajime Moriyasu, who has previously criticised the Scottish league.
It’s believed Kyogo would welcome the chance to join a club in one of Europe’s top five leagues, despite Celtic’s progression to the Champions League knockouts.
The 30-year-old, who had three goals disallowed against Young Boys on Wednesday night, has netted 85 times for the Hoops in all competitions
Brendan Rodgers admitted last week he will not stand in anyone’s way if their heart is set on leaving Celtic:
“I think the biggest thing is if a player doesn’t want to be here, then go, and then it’s at that point, then the club has to get the best possible deal. So I don’t ever see the point of keeping someone who doesn’t want to be here.
“But I think for us, it’s all eventualities. That’s what we prepare for, whether it’s injuries, whether it’s transfers. You always have to be ready and that’s our message.
“But for him [Kyogo] at this moment in time, he’s happy, he’s working well, he’s scoring goals and enjoying his football.
Kris Boyd and Chris Sutton heaped praise on Celtic’s Kyogo after an impressive performance against Ross County with the forward scoring twice.
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“People always look into something – ‘he didn’t celebrate enough or he didn’t do this or he didn’t do that’.
“I see him every day, I see his work, I see his intensity. And maybe he scores so much that he doesn’t really have to celebrate madly all the time. Or maybe it was too cold. But he’s just the same guy.
“But there’s always speculation and we’re not scared of the speculation and the gossip. So there’ll always be wee bits and pieces around him.”
Kyōgo was called up in November 2024 for Japan’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, joined by Celtic teammates Daizen Maeda and Reo Hatate, an indication that the trio may be playing prominent role should the 2002 world Cup hosts qualify for the next World Cup billed for USA, Canada and Mexico.
Kyōgo was first called to the national team on November 19 2019 in the match against Venezuela in the Kirin Cup,was neither included in Japan squad for the 2022 World cup in Qatar nor the 2024 AFC Asian Cup.
Japan manager Hajime Moriyasu justified his decision for his exclusion then by saying: “We selected players who will be on the same wavelength as a team, who will be able to move and link up together, who through their organisation will be able to make use of their individual strengths”.
Julius Okorie is Chief Sports and Entertainment Correspondent for Prime Business Africa. He began his journalism career with the Champion Newspaper and Sporting Champion and later moved on to Daily Independent and the Nation Newspapers. Okorie joined Prime Business Africa in 2024 bringing on board 20 years of experience in writing investigative news on Sports and Entertainment. His well researched and highly informative articles on Sports Business and general entertainment are followed by a wide range of audience.
