Hayato Inamura, Celtic’s latest J-League target, that Kuhn ‘exclusive’

A summer shake-up at Celtic Park was expected, with Brendan Rodgers vowing to refresh his squad – but the transfer activity has kicked off with an intensity rarely seen in recent years.

Kuhn burst onto the scene last season, and by January, he was already being tipped as the next player to break Celtic’s outgoing transfer record with a potential £25 million plus switch to the English Premier League.

His performances dipped in the latter part of the campaign, managing only four Premiership goals since the start of the year. However, interest remains strong, with reports suggesting that Leipzig are preparing a £15 million offer for the winger.

Kuhn famously struck twice to defeat the German side in last season’s Champions League group stage and later added a vital goal against Bayern Munich in the knockouts, before Celtic were heartbreakingly knocked out in the dying moments of the tie.

The Scottish Sun, claiming an exclusive, reports that Leipzig’s interest has been sparked, and they are considering a blockbuster summer deal that would far exceed the £3 million the Hoops spent to bring him in January 2024. With four years remaining on his contract, Celtic will not feel rushed to accept the initial offer.

Readers over on the Kerrydale Street forum’s ‘speculation and rumour’ thread have noted that this exclusive was already published on their own transfer rumours thread from one of the ITK posters who has a decent record on this front. When is an exclusive actually an exclusive – you tell me?

Meanwhile, Celtic are close to securing forward Benjamin Nygren, who could immediately fill Kuhn’s role, while negotiations for Fulham striker Callum Osmand are also nearing completion just as the transfer window opens. Early Celtic transfer activity is the footballing equivalent to hen’s teeth so it will make a welcome change if these two deals are confirmed this week.  Fingers crossed and all that.

Now, Stephen McGowan, now writing for The Herald, reports that Celtic are preparing to revisit the Japanese market with plans to sign defender Hayato Inamura. The 23 year-old Albirex Niigata defender is left-footed and capable of operating as both a centre-back and a left-back.

Currently embroiled in a J-League relegation fight, Inamura is reportedly a target for Celtic, who see him as a solution to strengthen Rodgers’ defence and address two key needs in a single signing.

Liam Scales was the sole natural left-footed centre-back to play for the Scottish champions last season, and with Greg Taylor set to depart, there is little cover available for Kieran Tierney.

If signed, he would join a growing list of Japanese players at the club, following in the footsteps of Daizen Maeda, Kyogo Furuhashi, Reo Hatate, Tomoki Iwata, and Yuki Kobayashi in recent seasons.

Conor Spence