Kyogo set to end his Rennes misery with move to Birmingham City

In January, the striker departed Celtic in a £10 million switch aimed at reviving his 2026 World Cup ambitions with Japan, after being consistently overlooked by Samurai Blue boss Hajime Moriyasu, who clearly favoured players competing in Europe’s top five leagues – even as Hoops star Daizen Maeda continued to earn selections.

What seemed like a solution for Kyogo – a big money move to Ligue 1 in France – quickly unravelled, with the 30-year-old spending most of his stint at Roazhon Park on the bench.

Kyogo’s situation remained unchanged under manager Habib Beye despite Jorge Sampaoli’s sacking a few days after the Japanese forward’s departure from Celtic. Now, the French club is ready to move on and recoup what they can.

According to Birmingham Live, talks are now underway with an ambitious Birmingham City side keen to strengthen their attack following their return to the English Championship.

Ex-Hoops assistant Chris Davies guided the St Andrew’s outfit to a comfortable and record-breaking League One title win, and with support from NFL icon Tom Brady, the club is now aiming for a push towards the Premier League.

Joining the Blues would reunite Kyogo with fellow Japanese midfielder and former Celtic teammate Tomoki Iwata. The midfielder made the move to Birmingham last summer and quickly impressed with a series of stunning goals.

Birmingham have also shown a tendency to recruit a few ex-(the)Rangers players. A permanent move for the once Celtic-linked Ben Davies remains on the cards following his loan spell from the Ibrox club last season, with Kieran Dowell also facing a similar scenario.

Scott Wright also joined Davies’ men last summer, and Scotland forward Lyndon Dykes along with former Hearts defender Alex Ciochrane are key players for Birmingham.

Conor Spence

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