Jota makes emotional return to Celtic, while Kyogo completes switch to Rennes

Celtics have seen Kyogo Furuhasi leave for France but have already done some business of their own, bringing Jota back to the club.

Kyogo Furuhashi has joined Rennes in a reported £ 10 million deal from Celtic, with Jota finalizing a move in the other direction as he returns to the Scottish champions.

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, currently sitting 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 2022-23 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, though he has the highest expected goals (xG) rate in the competition (13.64).

He has also had the most ‘big’ chances (26), scoring nine, while only two players have attempted more shots than his 63.

He won eight trophies with the club, including three consecutive league titles, two Scottish League Cups, and three Scottish Cups.

Brendan Rodgers revealed on Friday that Kyogo had indicated his desire to end his three-year spell in Glasgow a few months ago.

However, Celtic has found a ready replacement, resigning Jota from Rennes on a five-and-a-half-year contract 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 initially 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 following year.

He then matched that goal tally the following year, helping Celtic to win the domestic treble before leaving for Saudi Arabia.

Speaking with the club’s media in an exclusive interview, the forward revealed the previous year-and-a-half had been challenging. However, he concluded that life is viewed from that perspective about football.

“Now I just can’t wait to work hard, get along with the lads again, and flow. He said.