Manchester City have identified Celtic striker Kyogo Furuhashi as a potential replacement for Argentina international forward Julian Alvarez, who they recently sold to Atletico Madrid for £82 million, according to The Athletic.
The Premier League champions want a forward who is prepared to accept a squad role and play second fiddle to Erling Braut Haaland, and the Hoops star has emerged as a feasible target.
Kyogo has caught the eye of Man City after scoring 73 goals and assisting 16 others in 135 games since joining Celtic in 2021, and it believed agreeing personal terms with the Japan international would not be a problem.
The Scottish Premiership club recently signed Adam Idah on a permanent deal after his impressive loan stint during the second half of last term, and whether they are open to selling Kyogo remains to be seen.
Celtic are already preparing for the departure of Denmark international midfielder Matt O’Riley after Brighton & Hove Albion offered more than £25m for the Hoops star, and losing another key player could be too much for manager Brendan Rodgers.
Man City have cash to splash and could be willing to offer more than £30m plus add-ons to tempt the Parkhead club into parting with Kyogo.
The 29-year-old bagged 19 goals and five assists in 50 appearances last term, but the decent return is a decline for a player who notched 34 goals and five assists in the same number of games in 2022-23.
His debut season at Celtic saw him grab 20 goals and five assists in 33 games, and the club could be open to cashing in on a player who appears to be nearing the end of his peak years.
The former Vissel Kobe star has won three Scottish Premiership titles, two Scottish Cups and two Scottish League Cups with the Bhoys, making the PFA Scotland Team of the Year twice and emerging as the SFWA Footballer of the Year, PFA Scotland Players’ Player of the Year and Scottish Premiership top scorer in 2022-23 after ending the campaign with 27 league goals.
The desire to move on and play for such a club like Man City could be too tempting for him, and it will be intriguing to see how things develop in the coming days.
