Kyogo had been an absolute superstar for Celtic ever since arriving in the summer of 2021. He was the face of the Ange Postecoglou era and scored 85 goals in his three and a half years with the Hoops. Over that period of time, he was also able to establish himself as one of the Hoops' most popular players in recent memory.
So, when Celtic green-lit Kyogo's exit in the middle of the season, it was a decision that led to a lot of raised eyebrows. He was still the club's first-choice striker.
There had been speculation about Kyogo's potential exit for some time. He had been linked with a late window move to Manchester City in the summer and Atlanta United earlier in the winter.
Ultimately, it is Rennes that he ended up joining last month. Since then, there has been a lot of speculation about the circumstances surrounding the move. Now, Kyogo's agent has shed some light on the matter.
Kyogo's agent breaks silence on controversial Celtic exit
As reported by The Sunday Times, Kyogo's agent Joel Pannick said:
"We had teams from all over the world express interest. There are certain markets where it would have been a very lucrative contract, but what sporting ambitions would realistically be achieved, particularly with the World Cup in mind in 18 months? Then we had to speak to Celtic to understand their perspective because a club has no desire to lose their best player halfway through the season."
According to the report, those conversations took place about two months before the window opened. This ensured Celtic had time to finalise a deal for a replacement.
Of course, Celtic did not end up signing a replacement at all. They were linked with names like Mathias Kvistgaarden of Brondby, Kelechi Iheanacho of Sevilla, David Strelec of Slovan Bratislava and even Danny Ings of West Ham United. But ultimately, the Hoops failed to sign a striker in the winter transfer window.
This will raise further questions about Celtic's approach to the winter transfer window and their ambition. Why were they not ready to bring in a replacement if they had known for months that Kyogo was looking to leave? This is not a good look for the club at all.