Celtic are set to wave goodbye to one of their fan favourites this month with Kyogo Furuhashi reportedly closing in on a £10m move to Rennes.
The Japanese striker is poised to end his Parkhead career and try his luck in France, after a return of 85 goals in 165 matches for the club in all competitions.
Meanwhile, Jota is set to return to Celtic for a second spell. The Portuguese winger is on his way to Glasgow for a medical ahead of an £8m transfer from Rennes, with Celtic banking a £2m profit by, essentially, trading Kyogo for the ex-Benfica man.
He may not be the only forward to arrive at Paradise before the end of the January transfer window, though, as the Hoops are eyeing up another winger.
Celtic's interest in Premier League forward
According to Sky Sports journalist Anthony Joseph, Celtic are one of the clubs keen on a deal to sign Aston Villa forward Louie Barry before next month’s deadline.
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The reporter claims that the Scottish giants have held talks with the Premier League side over a potential deal for the English youngster, but the Villans are ‘reluctant’ to cash in on him.
Joseph adds that they want to keep hold of the winger and loan him out for the second half of the season, amid interest from teams in England and abroad.
It remains to be seen whether or not Celtic are willing to take the 21-year-old dynamo on loan, rather than doing a permanent deal, but he could be an exciting addition if they manage to strike an agreement with Villa to sign him on a temporary basis.
Why Louie Barry would be an exciting addition
Barry would be an exciting signing for the Hoops because he could help Adam Idah, who is set to become the only recognised, senior, number nine in the squad, to shine in the second half of the campaign.
The Ireland international has found it difficult to be the main man for Celtic this season because Kyogo has been ahead of him in the pecking order more often than not, and he has only scored five goals in 20 Scottish Premiership matches.
Appearances
20
22
Starts
10
15
Goals
5
10
Big chances created
6
1
Assists
0
3
However, as you can see in the table above, Idah has been incredibly unfortunate in the sense that his teammates have let him down with their wasteful finishing in the final third, with zero goals scored from the six ‘big chances’ that he has created.
This suggests that Celtic could help their summer signing from Norwich to thrive in the second half of the season by signing a winger who can make the most of the high-quality opportunities that his impressive link-up play in the centre-forward position creates.
Barry, whose composure was once hailed as “incredible” by Declan Rice, scored 15 goals and only missed six ‘big chances’ in League One for Stockport County on loan in the first half of the season, which shows that he is an efficient finisher who can score on a regular basis from out wide.
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Therefore, the Aston Villa youngster could help Idah to shine by making the most of the ‘big chances’ he creates, which could bring more attention to the Irishman’s creative quality and put him on the road to being the main man for the Hoops.