Why Celtic's Kyogo Furuhashi has emerged as shock transfer target for Manchester City following £82m departure

Celtic striker Kyogo Furuhashi has emerged as a shock transfer target for Manchester City, according to a report.

The English Premier League champions are in the market for a new forward to provide cover and competition for Erling Haaland following the £82million departure of Julian Alvarez to Atletico Madrid. The Athletic report that City have whittled down their transfer targets down to Kyogo, 29, and one other other younger forward. It is claimed that Kyogo has caught the eye of City manager Pep Guardiola and that personal terms would not be an issue with the Japanese international keen on the move despite the lack of guarantee over regular first-team football.

One of the main contributing factors in Guardiola’s interest in the Celtic star is likely to involve Juan Manuel 'Jaunma' Lillo, the current City assistant manager. Lillo was previously manager of Vissel Kobe between 2018-19 where he worked with Kyogo. Speaking about his time under Lillo at his previous club, Kyogo once said: I'm glad I met you. I'm glad to have been mentored by you. I think I've changed and grown in the range, quality, and mindset of my play. I will definitely become a better player with this experience. I'll do my best to meet again somewhere. Thank you for the short notice."

Lillo was part of the backroom team at Man City for two years between 2020 and 2022 and returned in 2023 after a brief spell as head coach at Qatari side Al-Sadd. Guardiola clearly has a lot of respect for his number two. "Juanma sees things no one else in the game sees," he said last year. "He understands football on an incredible level, so he is the perfect person for me to work alongside.

“I have always been inspired by him – his knowledge of football, his intelligence and his humanity mark him out as a very special person in my life – and we have a shared ideology. He is a friend, a colleague and an inspiration. I am so, so happy he is back here at Manchester City. His preparation for matches is absolutely amazing. I know he will raise standards because he works so hard every single day.”

Kyogo Furuhashi scores for Celtic against Manchester City in a pre-season friendly in North Carolina on July 23, 2024. (Photo by Ross MacDonald / SNS Group) | SNS Group

Guardiola also got a personal close-up view of Kyogo in action during City's pre-season friendly against Celtic in North Carolina last month, where the striker produced an exceptional display with a goal in a 4-3 victory for the Scottish champions. Kyogo has scored an impressive 73 goals for Celtic in 135 appearances for Celtic since joining under Ange Postecoglou in 2021.

He is currently nursing a recurring shoulder injury which kept him out of Celtic's 3-1 win over Hibs in the Premier Sports Cup on Sunday. Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers revealed afterwards that the front man faces a decision over whether to bite the bullet and go for corrective surgery that would result in a four-month lay-off or continue to manage the issue. It remains to be seen whether this situation has any bearing on whether City follow through with their reported interest.

If they do make a move, Celtic would look to command a sizeable transfer fee for Kyogo – with reports of a valuation in the region of £25million – having recently tied their star striker onto a new four-year contract until 2027. Such a move could see Celtic net over £50million in transfer fees this summer should Brighton also succeed in their £25m pursuit of midfielder Matt O’Riley.

Should Kyogo depart, Celtic would almost certainly look to sign another striker before the transfer window closes. Adam Idah arrived from Norwich City for £9.5million last week and they also have Daizen Maeda as an option at number nine, as the Japanese international showed with a double in the 3-1 win over Hibs on Saturday while deputising for Kyogo.

But Celtic manager Rodgers has stated his desire to have three striking options at his disposal this season and allowing Kyogo to exit with no replacement lined up would present major issues ahead of the club's return to the Champions League next month.