Birmingham City star's path to Celtic transfer paved as key factor could unlock late Hoops raid on Blues
Blues striker has been linked with Celtic return
According to former Birmingham City and Sunderland striker Kevin Phillips, Blues fans would be unfazed if out of former forward Kyogo Furuhashi moved back to Celtic.
The 31-year old was a fan favourite during his four years at Parkhead, where he scored 85 goals in 165 appearances and helped the club win nine major honours. However, since leaving in January 2025, he’s been far less prolific in front of goal. After a failed stint at Rennes in France, he joined EFL Championship side Birmingham last summer, but has only managed to find the target three times over the course of the season.
Ever since his Hoops departure, much has been made from Celtic fans and pundits alike that they’ve failed to replace the goals of Kyogo. In turn, the Japanese marksman has been linked with a move back to Parkhead in nigh on every subsequent window.
Kyogo to Celtic return links re-emerge
Celtic completed their first signing of the season earlier today in the form of Colombian striker Camilo Duran. While Kyogo return rumours have been much quieter in the window thus far, speaking via the Daily Record, Phillips name-checked Celtic as a potential next destination for the forward. He said: “I’ve always liked Kyogo, there’s something there, but we just haven’t really seen it on a regular basis.
“There’s no good saying we keep waiting and waiting; he needs to perform. So if he stays, he needs to hit the ground running. If he doesn’t, I don’t think there’ll be too many Blues fans kicking the door down to say stay if Birmingham were to cash in, whether he went back to Celtic or went somewhere else. So I would give him the benefit of the doubt and let him start the season. If it doesn’t quite work out, then maybe look to potentially get him out on loan or move him on before the window shuts.”
After securing a record breaking points tally in EFL League One, the Blues finished 10th in the Championship last season. With the financial backing of NFL legend Tom Brady, the club are looking to better that this season with their sights set on the Premier League.
What has Martin O’Neill said in the past about a Kyogo return?
Kyogo was linked with a Celtic move in January which never came to fruition. Addressing the speculation then, O’Neill said: “I would have said that would probably be unlikely. I think there is a viewpoint that he wants to really prove himself at Birmingham, which is no surprise.
“Doing plenty of work on it, seriously and I know that’s a big generalisation. We are doing that and hopefully try and get a few players in. But there’s a lot of work going on at the moment. We are well aware that we have to supplement the squad.”
Celtic now have Duran, Daizen Maeda, Callum Osmand and Johnny Kenny as striking options, while O’Neill is also looking to re-sign Kelechi Iheanacho after the club failed to renew his contract. Whether there is room for Kyogo remains to be seen.
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