The last few days have seen the gossip columns and transfer rumour mills go into overdrive with speculation linking several high-profile players with moves to the club. Whilst it is natural to get excited about potential transfers boosting an already talented pool of players, it is highly doubtful that the likes of Wilfried Ndidi or Kieran Tierney will end up at Celtic Park this summer.
That said, there is renewed trust in Celtic’s recruitment policy to believe that when signings are eventually made, they will be of a high calibre, and come with the potential of a high sell-on value.
One thing that does not get fans excited though is the seemingly constant rumours linking Celtic’s star players with moves elsewhere, whether that be to Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs or some of the other top leagues in Europe.
As previously established, most rumours are not to be believed and in this article we will assess the likelihood of some of Celtic’s top players leaving this summer.
Jota
Jota has impressed consistently for Celtic since arriving at the club on an initial loan spell back in 2021. The fans and the management knew his quality which is why the club forked out £6.5 million for his signature.
A cut above the rest when it comes to domestic football, Jota has raised his game to a new level in the past 12 months, with some standout performances in European competitions especially catching the eye. It is those high-quality performances in the Champions League, where the eyes of the world are watching, that will have brought him to the attention of clubs from Europe’s top 5 leagues.
Already this summer jota has been linked with a move to Tottenham and a reunion with Ange Postecoglou; we can most likely put that down to lazy journalism. However, the Portuguese has also now been linked with a move to Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad. With Saudi clubs splashing the cash this summer, money could talk if the interest is genuine. A fee in the region of £20-25million could prove too hard to resist.
Likelihood: 9.5/10
Reo Hatate
Like Jota, Reo Hatate has also been linked with moves to Spurs (who hasn’t at this stage?) and Saudi Arabia, an inevitable side effect of enjoying an excellent season.
Much like Jota, Hatate has generally performed well in the big games and will no doubt have caught the attention of scouts representing clubs from the big 5 leagues.
Brighton is one such club to have been previously linked with an interest in the 25-year-old, perhaps looking to build on their previous success of operating in the Japanese market which saw them bring in Kaoru Mitoma. A move to Brighton may not be the most glamourous for Hatate, but it would likely result in more game time compared to a move to Spurs.
There seems to be a bit more noise surrounding Hatate compared to some of our other players but so far no concrete evidence of genuine interest from other clubs. Until further news comes out it looks like Hatate will stay at Celtic this summer.
Likelihood: 5/10
Kyogo Furuhashi
As something of a celebrity in Japan, Kyogo has been doing the rounds on Japanese TV stations as of late whilst on his summer break back home.
He has been asked a few times about what the future holds and his responses to those questions have caused some paranoia amongst Celtic fans, justified or not.
Speaking after Japan’s friendly win over Peru, a game in which he started, Kyogo stated that: “Right now, I want to have a long rest and think about things after that.”
This caused some fear amongst Celtic fans, but it was his comments on a Japanese TV show which caused even more confusion as, after being asked about links to Spurs, he said: “No comment. The future will bring what the future brings. I am only thinking about doing my best for the club I belong to now.”
The 28-year-old didn’t speak with too much conviction in his comments and, as mentioned in a previous ACSOM article, he is at something of a crossroads in his career. Burnley has recently been priced out of a move for Kyogo with Celtic setting a £25 million price tag for their star man. If Kyogo is to move on, it would appear that Celtic will only allow it for top dollar.
Likelihood: 6/10
James McKenzie
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