Rennes are reportedly eyeing up a move for Kyogo – opening up the intriguing possibility of a player-plus-cash deal for Jota.
And Odsonne Edouard could even factor in as an intriguing saga promises to play out before the end of the window. The Japan striker is no stranger to being linked with a move away from Parkhead but his age, contract status, and importance to Brendan Rodgers‘ team mean it’s rarely looked particularly likely. Manchester City registered an interest in the summer but have since moved on, and the latest from the US is that Atlanta United have cooled on him after learning he’s not as keen on them as they are on him.
But over in France, L’Equipe and Ouest-France both report that Rennes are keen and see him as the ideal option to boost their strikeforce. Well, their manager Jorge Sampaoli is – it’s claimed their sporting director Frederic Massara sees things slightly differently and isn’t keen to pay the £10m Celtic would reportedly demand for Kyogo, who turns 30 next week and is under contract until 2027. In any case, they seem to have gone from not feeling as though they need a new striker, to very much wanting one to compete with main man Arnaud Kalimuendo.
There are two factors where Rennes specifically are concerned that make it interesting from a Celtic perspective.
Most glaringly, it’s that they currently have Jota on their books. The Portuguese superstar has struggled to get going both in Saudi Arabia and in France since his £25m exit from Parkhead 18 months ago and there have been serious noises that he wants a move back to Parkhead.
A player-plus-cash swap deal does make sense for both clubs – Kyogo fits the Rennes recruitment profile as well as Jota does at Celtic. But that may have too many moving parts to be a viable option in January, particularly since it would leave Celtic chasing a new striker.
And that’s where Odsonne Edouard comes into it. The latest from the States claims that Atlanta, having gone cold on Kyogo’s trail, see both Edouard and Middlesbrough’s Emmanuel Latte Lath as alternatives. The big Frenchman is available this month having fallen out of the picture at Leicester, and he’s also likely to be on Rennes’ radar given he’s a homegrown option.
But if Celtic find themselves in the market for a striker then, well, his name is likely to come up.