Birmingham close in on £10m Kyogo deal | OneFootball

Birmingham City are on the verge of finalising a deal to bring Kyogo Furuhashi back to the UK from French side Stade Rennais, marking a swift return for the ex-Celtic star just half a year after his departure.

Since earning promotion from League One last season, the Blues have acted decisively in the transfer market. They've secured the services of Phil Neumann following the expiration of his deal with Hannover 96, and brought in James Beadle and Tommy Doyle on loan from Premier League outfits Brighton and Wolves, respectively.

On Thursday evening, the club also announced the homecoming of Demarai Gray, who rejoined after nearly a decade away. Now, manager Chris Davies looks poised to reinforce his attack with a partner for last season’s leading scorer, Jay Stansfield.

According to L’Équipe, Birmingham and Rennes are in “advanced negotiations” over a transfer that could reach around £10 million once add-ons are factored in - the same figure the French side paid to acquire the forward in January.

Kyogo, a Japan international, has struggled to find form during his brief stint in France. He featured just six times in Ligue 1, starting only once, and was left out of action entirely from mid-April onwards. A return to British football now looks imminent.

During his time at Celtic, Kyogo built a reputation as a lethal goal-scorer. He netted 85 goals across 165 matches for the Scottish giants, reaching double-digit tallies in each of his three full seasons and scoring 12 more before departing midway through his fourth campaign.