Kyogo Furuhashi was a superstar at Celtic, scoring 85 goals for the club before joining Rennes in January. The desire to play at the next World Cup was believed to be the driving factor behind that move. In hindsight, that has proven to be a major mistake. The Japanese international barely featured for the Ligue 1 side and by the end of the campaign, he was not even making the bench.
So, Kyogo needs to leave Rennes this summer if he wants to bring his career back on track. There have been plenty of rumours about a potential return to Celtic, with the Hoops not really replacing him in the winter and in need of signing a striker this summer.
Kyogo has been linked with Premier League clubs like Brentford and Bournemouth as well. But as it turns out, he is closing in on a move to the English Championship.
As reported by Sponichi, Kyogo is likely to move to English Championship club Birmingham City. He is said to be positive about the transfer.
Celtic fans left stunned by club Kyogo is close to joining
This news will come as a surprise to many. Not too long ago, Kyogo was scoring goals in the Champions League. Less than twelve months ago, Manchester City were believed to be interested in signing him as a replacement for Julian Alvarez. Now, he might end up in the English Championship.
That just goes to show how quickly things can change in football. And how important it is to make the right move.
The grass is not always greener on the other side. The likes of Daizen Maeda, Reo Hatate, Cameron Carter-Vickers and a few others are being linked with moves away from Celtic this summer. The Kyogo story should show them why they need to be careful about their next decision though.