The January transfer window rumour mill always has a handful of stories each week that can flummox even the most loyal and knowledgeable football fan in the country, and given the importance of Celtic when it comes to headlines, we naturally regularly feature in such claims but there was certainly a novel one this week which somehow created a transfer triangle between Kyogo Furuhashi, Jota and Odsonne Edouard.
Talented 29 year old Japanese attacker, Kyogo Furuhashi, is rarely very far from the headlines at this time of year, and the 22 capped player has again featured quite heavily in the speculation with MLS side Atlanta already said to be back in for him this month following their prior attempted failures, but for 12 obvious reasons in the 2024/25 campaign alone, we would not be willing sellers. The experts at the MightyTips website would be all over that fact in their curated rankings for Greece, so even fans who like a flutter from afar can judge the sports predictions odds appropriately.
The United States has not been the only potential departure destination for him, as European leagues such as the French Ligue 1 have also been named checked, and if recent claims are true, it is now being said that Rennes are very interested in his services this month.
The link with Rennes is the first part of this novel story as it is being suggested that they would be willing to entertain a player plus cash arrangement that would see Jota return to Parkhead. French outlets L’Equipe and Ouest-France have now both reported that Rennes manager, Jorge Sampaoli, has made the soon to be 30 year old their top target for the remainder of the New Year window as they look to boost their own options at the top of the pitch.
It is suggested that the club themselves are not so keen on the deal given his age and a ballpark minimum starting valuation of £10 million, and if a move is to take place this window, Hoops fans would be hoping for a lot more than that for a start, but that is where 25 year old Jota comes into it as a swap option to balance the wants on our side.
After his huge money move to Saudi Arabian Pro League side Al-Ittihad back in the summer of 2023, it did not go well and 12 months later he headed to France, but he has not really made an impact there either with three league starts and six substitute showings in his opening six months, and they are understandably happy to cut their losses at this point. It is also being suggested that Jota would love to return to the Celtic stomping ground to get himself back on track in more familiar surroundings.
The main flaw in this theory is that it would obviously leave us potentially looking for a replacement striker late on in the window and that is not ideal from a squad, or financial, point of view, but that completes this triangle as it brings us straight to 27 year old Frenchman, Odsonne Edouard.
Having left us for the Premier League lights of Crystal Palace back in the summer of 2021, it predictably was not a great spell for him and with a poor goal return, this season he found himself loaned out to Leicester City and he has only started one game for them, with five further showings from the bench.
There is good reason to think he could recapture his form for us if he returned, he has plenty of years left in his playing career and financially he would be a very cost effective option. However, he is also being linked with a possible move to Rennes, with Atlanta having dropped their own interest in him.
It is one big merry-go-round, and 99% complete nonsense.
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