Celtic 'fast-track' Kyogo Furuhashi transfer return as ex-fan favourite offered Birmingham City escape route
Interim Celtic boss Martin O’Neill is prioritising the arrival of a new striker before Saturday’s Premiership clash with Dundee United
Kyogo Furuhashi is closing in on a sensational return to Celtic on loan from English Championship side Birmingham City, according to reports.
The Japanese striker was a revelation at Parkhead after being snapped up by Ange Postecoglou from J-League club Vissel Kobe in 2021 – scoring 85 goals in 165 appearances for the Hoops and winning nine trophies across four years in the process.
He opted to leave the Scottish Premiership champions for Ligue 1 and join Stade Rennes last January, with the timing of his mid-season departure leaving a bitter taste among some fans. But his spell in France quickly turned sour and he returned to the UK in the summer, signing for the Blues in a bumper £10 million deal.
However, things haven't gone to plan for the 30-year-old in the Midlands, having failed to score for Chris Davies’ side in 23 league appearances. And with the frontman now facing up to the prospect of missing out on Japan’s World Cup squad next summer, the Scottish Sun have reported that Kyogo is set to for a return to Glasgow’s east end before Saturday’s league clash with Dundee United.
Celtic had yet to fill the void he left and interim boss Martin O’Neill is desperate to bolster his side’s attack following his returning to the club after Wilfried Nancy’s dismissal.
The inexperienced Johnny Kenny has been the only fit recognised hitman in recent weeks, with Kelechi Iheanacho - signed as a free agent after the summer window had concluded - plagued by injury.
It’s now believed that under-fire club officials have been “exploring a shock deal” in the last 24 hours to bring Kyogo back on a temporary basis, while continuing to work on other targets as well.
What Birmingham City boss Chris Davies has said about Kyogo’s future
Speaking last month, Blues boss Davies admitted the striker had been left “frustrated” at his lack of opportunities with EFL Championship side.
He confessed: “It has been a frustration for Kyogo, a frustration for himself more than anyone else, and I can see that in him. He really wanted to come here, play regularly, score goals and get back in that Japan squad after a difficult few months in France.
“It was only a few months because he was still doing great at Celtic before he went off there. Going back to the stat about the amount of chances we’ve created, he’s had quite a few of those and someone told me that in terms of big chances created in the league he is up there as well.
“And he hasn’t capitalised on those chances. He knows that, I’ve told him that he needs to take those chances and moments. He’s good enough to do it, he’s shown that, but he needs to go and make it happen now. No one else is going to do it for him, he needs to do it himself.”
A potential return to Celtic Park is expected to be given the thumbs up by the vast majority of supporters who adored him during his first stint. He helped fire Celtic to a domestic treble in the 2022/23 season, finding the net 34 times.
His performances also earned him a clean sweep of awards, including the PFA Scotland Players’ Player of the Year, SWFA Footballer of the Year and the Scottish Premiership golden boot.