With Matt O'Riley set to head through the Celtic exit door after sealing a club record transfer to Brighton, many are worried Kyogo Furuhashi could follow suit.
The Japanese striker is reportedly on Manchester City's shortlist as they look to replace Julian Alvarez this summer. Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers refused to speak about the "gossip", and emphasised the need to add to his squad before the window closes next week.
O'Riley jetted down to the South Coast to finalise his Brighton contract on Saturday morning and is expected to complete his move over the coming days, which will see the English Premier League club spend £25million plus another £5m in add on's for the Danish international midfielder.
That's all fine and well in Chris Sutton's mind, but the prospect of Celtic losing two of their main men this month is "unthinkable".
Celtic are aiming to build on their Double-winning campaign from last time out, while Rodgers has repeatedly stated how he wants to improve the club's showings in the Champions League. To do that Sutton knows his old team must try retain their star players.
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“The prospect of losing Matt O’Riley this summer is a tough one for Celtic fans to stomach,” Sutton wrote in his Daily Record column.
“But allowing Kyogo to also head out the door would be absolutely unthinkable right now.
“Celtic shouldn’t even contemplate the possibility of the striker leaving. They can’t entertain it – at any price.
“There’s been enough said about O’Riley and people have just about got their heads around his likely departure. Kyogo is a different matter.
“The story this week about Manchester City being interested has got supporters in a panic – and it’s understandable. The notion of Celtic losing two of their best players going into the final week of the transfer window makes my stomach lurch as well.
“A few of my colleagues in England have scoffed a little about the City link with Kyogo. But I can understand why they’d be looking at him. I have no doubt Kyogo could cut it in the Premier League.
“You look at his movement, his speed, his ability to get across his man and attack the near post. He would score goals for City, for sure.
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“And I’m sure plenty will understand the attraction for Celtic if they can get £20million plus for a 29-year-old striker. That’s not the point though. Celtic might get a ton of money – but Kyogo is irreplaceable.
“Let’s face it, they are not going to go out and replace him with another £20m frontman. It will be a player who has potential and will need to develop. That’s the reality at Celtic and I get the model of buying cheap and then selling big.
“But at some point they are going to need to draw a line in the sand. They need to show they are a club with Champions League ambitions rather than just a battery farm for other clubs to come along and pick up their top players whenever they feel like it.”
