Brendan Rodgers made a bold decision in the January transfer window when he sanctioned a Celtic exit for centre-forward Kyogo Furuhashi.
The Japan international completed a £10m move to Ligue 1 side Rennes midway through the season, and shortly after the Hoops had qualified for the play-off round of the Champions League.
Kyogo, who scored 34 goals in all competitions during the 2022/23 campaign, had scored 85 goals in 165 appearances for the Scottish giants before his move to France.
The Japan international had scored 12 goals in 32 appearances in all competitions during the 2024/25 season for Celtic as Rodgers’ first-choice centre-forward more often than not.
However, the Northern Irish head coach opted against a move to sign a direct replacement for him before the end of the January transfer window, instead opting for Daizen Maeda, Adam Idah, and Johnny Kenny as his three striker options.
Celtic could be in the market for a replacement for Kyogo in the summer, though, and Rodgers could be on the lookout for his next Odsonne Edouard.
How Celtic hit the jackpot with Odsonne Edouard
The Scottish giants initially signed the French marksman on loan from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2017, at the start of the current Celtic manager’s second season in charge.
Edouard enjoyed a fairly impressive debut campaign in Glasgow with a return of 11 goals and four assists in 29 appearances in all competitions, including nine goals in 22 outings in the Scottish Premiership.
His form for the Hoops in that season convinced the board to smash the club’s transfer record with a reported £9m swoop for his services in the summer of 2018 to bolster Rodgers’ options at the top end of the pitch.
The Premiership champions were willing to splash the cash to ensure that Edouard remained at Parkhead after his impressive debut campaign, and it turned out to be a terrific decision as they hit the jackpot with the French star.
Edouard scored 22 goals and provided eight assists in 52 appearances in his first season as a permanent Hoops number nine, and followed that up with a stunning return of 29 goals and 17 assists in 47 outings in the next campaign.
Celtic hit the jackpot with the former PSG star because they smashed their transfer record in the hope that he would progress and develop as a player, which is exactly what happened with his rising goal tallies each year.
As you can see in the graphic above, Edouard ended his Celtic career with two Golden Boots and four league titles in four seasons, before signing for Premier League side Crystal Palace in a transfer that could rise to £18.5m.
This shows that the Hoops hit the jackpot with the striker in more ways than one, as they landed a terrific player on the pitch and ended up making a significant profit on him, and they could repeat that masterclass with their interest in a new forward this summer.
Celtic considering club-record swoop for striker
According to the Daily Mail, Celtic are one of a number of teams eyeing up a move to sign Brondby centre-forward Mathias Kvistgaarden in the upcoming summer transfer window.
The report claims that they are facing plenty of competition for the attacker’s signature, as West Ham United and Eintracht Frankfurt are also interested in a swoop for the Danish marksman.
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It states that Celtic enquired about a deal for the 23-year-old star in January, as he is a long-term target for the club, and that they are now weighing up a move to sign him this summer.
The Daily Mail’s report adds that any teams wanting to sign Kvistgaarden this summer would need to shell out a fee in excess of £12m, which would break the £11m transfer record set by Arne Engels’ move from Augsburg last year.
It claims that Celtic would have ‘no issue’ with smashing their transfer record to sign the striker, which illustrates the kind of money that Rodgers will have to spend in the coming months.
Whilst the Hoops are now weighing up this club-record move for the Brondby star, is Kvistgaarden worth splashing the cash on ahead of next season?
Why Celtic should sign Mathias Kvistgaarden
The Premiership champions should smash their transfer record to sign the Danish attacker, as he could be Edouard 2.0 at Parkhead, a centre-forward worth breaking the bank for.
As aforementioned, Celtic hit gold with the French striker because they were willing to pay big money to bring the talented attacker to Parkhead on a permanent basis, and they got back the quality that they paid for.
That could also be the case with Kvistgaarden because he is coming off the back of an impressive season in Denmark with Brondby, which has attracted interest from teams in the Bundesliga and the Premier League, as well as Scotland.
The former Denmark U21 international ended the 2024/25 campaign with a return of 23 goals and seven assists in 39 appearances in all competitions, which shows that he provided a huge threat in the final third on a regular basis.
Appearances
29
FotMob rating
7.29
xG
13.99
Goals
17
Chances created
19
Assists
5
As you can see in the table above, Kvistgaarden was particularly lethal in the Superliga with 17 goals from just 13.99 xG, which speaks to his efficiency in front of goal as he can outperform his expected return.
Meanwhile, no Celtic player managed more than 16 goals in the Premiership. Adam Idah (14.77) and Daizen Maeda (14.95) both had a higher xG than the Danish sensation, but only managed 13 and 16 goals respectively, which suggests that the £12m+ striker could come in as an upgrade on what Rodgers currently has at his disposal.
Denmark boss Brian Riemer recently described the attacker as a “tormentor for the opponents’ defences”, and that is backed up by his impressive form for Brondby this season with a constant stream of goals across all competitions.
He could be a tormentor in Scotland in the 2025/26 campaign as a lethal and consistent goalscorer for the Scottish giants, which is why he could be Edouard 2.0 as a club-record signing with the potential to make a huge impact at the top end of the pitch for many seasons to come.
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