Every summer, there is a lot of excitement about new signings. Celtic look set to be closing in on deals for Benjamin Nygren and Callum Osmand, while Isaac English has already arrived. Two more moves have been made but they are familiar faces with Kieran Tierney and Ross Doohan returning to Parkhead as free agents.
Every summer, there is a lot of fear about key players leaving. That is something Celtic fans have had to face pretty much every year. Last time around, it was Matt O'Riley. Before that, Jota left for Al-Ittihad, ultimately returning 18 months later.
So, do not be surprised if more key players leave this summer. In fact, quite a few are being linked with moves away right now. The name atop that list is Nicolas Kuhn, who seems most likely to depart Celtic in this window.
As reported by Football Insider, Celtic plan to accept a £20m Kuhn offer. Mick Brown said:
"Premier League and European sides are sniffing around him and they’d be prepared to pay.
“If they can make big money from him, £20million or even more than that, they might not have a choice.
“I don’t think they’re in a position to turn down offers of that value, no matter what their plans are.
“The positive is, that should allow them to go and sign a top-class replacement and I think they’re an attractive enough club to make that happen."
Celtic planning to accept £20 million transfer bid this summer
Kuhn has been heavily linked with a move to RB Leipzig. He was part of their youth setup at one point in time but did not end up making it to the senior level. Let's see if the Bundesliga club end up making a bid for the Celtic winger.
On the other hand, Newcastle United are another club who are believed to be interested in signing Kuhn from Celtic this summer. But if they want to do that, they might need to move fast because RB Leipzig are believed to be making progress when it comes to a deal.
Kuhn is a good talent, there is no doubt about that. On his day, he is phenomenal, as we saw in the first half of the previous campaign. That being said, he struggled after the turn of the year and was being heavily criticised in recent months.
Then again, one cannot overlook his overall contribution to the team's success last season. He scored 21 goals and provided 15 assists across all competitions.
Those include some big goals as well. Kuhn scored a brace in a 3-1 win over RB Leipzig in the Champions League. That performance must have played a role in raising their interest in bringing him back. He also scored a goal against Bayern Munich, which secured a 1-1 draw at the Allianz Arena. And while the German winger's record in the Glasgow Derby was nothing to write home about, he did find the back of the net in the League Cup final against the Rangers.
So, Celtic will have a tough time replacing Kuhn, if or when he leaves. They have not been helped by the fact that a number of their targets appear to be closing in on moves to other clubs. Raul Moro is headed to Ajax, having already agreed a deal. On the other hand, PSV are the favourites to sign Sondre Orjasaeter from Sarpsborg 08.
Michel-Ange Balikwisha of Royal Antwerp is still available. But there have been conflicting reports in that regard. Some suggest Celtic are not ready to meet the asking price or while others claim a move is still on the cards.