KYOGO FURUHASHI could be set for a shock departure from Celtic this summer after being lined up for a stunning move back to Japan.
The 29-year-old striker has been targeted by Urawa Red Diamonds in an ambitious move to lure Kyogo back to his homeland.
Now the richest club in Japan, Urawa are willing to break the current J-League transfer record in order to get their man.
The current record stands at £10million, so any bid to sign Furuhashi would need to be well in excess of that figure.
A firm fans’ favourite throughout his three years in Glasgow, he is also under contract until 2027 having signed a new deal last summer. But reports in Japan claim that Urawa have placed Furuhashi at the top of their list as they look to build a team capable of winning the J-League.
They signed Norwegian forward Ola Solbakken on loan from Roma in January but he looks set to leave amid interest from Swedish champions Malmo. That would leave a significant hole in Urawa’s squad and they are keen to fill it with a homegrown player.
Kyogo Furuhashi has won seven out of nine domestic trophies during his three years at Celtic
The Japanese striker became an instant hit with supporters due to his electric form up front
Kyogo has not enjoyed the same success under Rodgers despite another decent goal return
They could be set to test Celtic’s resolve with a blockbuster bid at some point over these next few weeks.
After being signed by Ange Postecoglou in the summer of 2021, Furuhashi enjoyed a couple of outstanding seasons at Celtic.
But he struggled to have the same impact after the arrival of Brendan Rodgers last summer, with 19 goals in all competitions representing his poorest season in Glasgow.
Celtic would be under no obligation to sell and there is no suggestion that the player himself has yet been agitating for a move.
However, if Celtic can secure a fee well in excess of £10m, they might well consider that good value for a player who will turn 30 next season. All the more so given that Furuhashi was signed for just £4.5m three years ago.
Rodgers has already stated his ambition to put his own stamp on this Celtic squad in the summer.
Striking duties have been shared with on-loan Irishman Adam Idah since his January arrival
Idah’s match-winner in the Scottish Cup final could see the club make his loan deal permanent
Furuhashi (second right) celebrates with countrymen Iwata, Maeda, Hatate and Kobayashi
There were times last season when Rodgers faced criticism over how he used the forward, with fans claiming that he wasn’t getting the best out of the Japanese striker.
The Celtic boss refuted those claims and insisted that Furuhashi wasn’t being asked to play any differently then he had been under Postecoglou.
Rodgers has also expressed a desire to make Adam Idah’s loan move from Norwich permanent, with a fee of around £6m required to secure the services of the Irish striker.
Idah came off the bench to replace Furuhashi in last weekend’s Scottish Cup final and duly went on to score the winner in the 1-0 triumph over Rangers.