Kyogo leaves Celtic for Rennes as Jota returns
Kyogo Furuhashi has joined Rennes in a reported £10million deal from Celtic, with Jota finalising a move in the other direction as he returns to the Scottish giant.
Kyogo, who joined Celtic in July 2021 in the same window as Jota, has signed a two-and-a-half-year deal with the French club, mired in a relegation battle, third from bottom in Ligue 1.
The Japan international scored 85 goals in 165 appearances for Celtic in all competitions and finished as the Scottish Premiership's top scorer in 2022-2023 as he helped the team to the title.
This season he has been key to Celtic's title charge once more and is the joint-second-highest scorer in the league with 10 goals.
He has also had the most 'big' chances (26), scoring nine of those, while only two players have attempted more shots than his 63.
He won eight trophies with the club, including three consecutive league titles, as well as two Scottish League Cups and three Scottish Cups.
Brendan Rodgers had revealed on Friday that Kyogo had indicated his desire to end his three-year spell in Glasgow a few months ago.
Celtic has found a ready replacement though, resigning Jota on a five-and-a-half-year contract from Rennes, after he initially left the club in July 2023.
The winger joined Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League but struggled to nail down a starting place, before having the same problem at Rennes, where he made just nine Ligue 1 appearances after joining in August.
Jota was originally signed by Ange Postecoglou on loan from Benfica in September 2021 and impressed as he scored 13 goals and registered 12 assists before the move was made permanent the next year.
He then matched that goal tally the following year, helping Celtic to win the domestic treble before leaving for Saudi Arabia.
"The last year-and-a-half has had its ups and downs, but that's life and that's how football is," he told Celtic's website.
"Now I just can't wait to work hard, to get along with the lads again and just to flow.
"We [Jota and Rodgers] had really good discussions, and we were very honest, and, in the end, we believed in each other.
"I think it's a really exciting time to be working with someone who has achieved so much and who is giving so much joy and happiness to the Celtic family."
