The January transfer window is on the horizon and Celtic may be in the market to do some deals once they have Wilfried Nancy in place as their new head coach.
Whilst the Hoops may look to bolster their squad with incoming signings, due to the centre-forward situation and the long-term injury to central defender Cameron Carter-Vickers, there may also be an eye on outgoings.
Kyogo Furuhashi was sold to Rennes for £10m in January at the start of this year, and the Scottish Premiership giants may lose another impressive Japan international in the upcoming window.
The latest on Daizen Maeda's future at Celtic
Earlier this month, the Daily Record reported that Daizen Maeda is ‘poised’ to complete a move away from Parkhead when the January transfer window officially opens for business.
The outlet revealed that sources close to the player have confirmed that there is still plenty of interest in the Japanese star after he failed to land a transfer in the summer.
Celtic were unable to allow him to leave in the summer window because they did not get a replacement, amid interest from Brentford and teams in Germany.
Losing Maeda in January would be a blow for Celtic, because he has scored 37 goals in all competitions for the club since the start of last season, per Transfermarkt, including four this term.
However, the Hoops did sign a player in the most recent summer window who has shown that he can carry the goalscoring burden for the next manager, Benjamin Nygren.
How much Benjamin Nygren's value has grown at Celtic
Celtic signed the attacking midfielder for a reported fee of £1.3m from Nordsjælland to bolster Brendan Rodgers’ options out wide and in the middle of the park.
Despite being a frustrating player at times, there is no questioning that he has made an immediate impact in his first few months at the club.
Nygren scored his seventh goal of the season in the 3-1 win over Feyenoord in the Europa League on Thursday night, which now means that he has scored at least two more goals than any other player in the squad, per Transfermarkt.
This is why there is no denying his usefulness to the Hoops. Goals win games and, at the moment, no one is better at scoring goals for Celtic than the Sweden international, who was once dubbed “fearless” by teammate Alexander Isak.
1
Benjamin Nygren
2
Kieran Tierney
3
Sebastian Tounekti
4
Marcelo Saracchi
5
Kelechi Iheanacho
6
Callum Osmand
7
Michel-Ange Balikwisha
8
Shin Yamada
9
Jahmai Simpson-Pusey
10
Hayato Inamura
11
Ross Doohan
We, as shown in the table above, have ranked Nygren at the top of the club’s summer signings both for his goal output this season, as well as for his soaring market value.
Per CIES, the left-footed star is valued at between £12m and £14m. That is a staggering increase on the £1.3m that they signed him for in the summer, and is more than they paid for club-record signing Arne Engels.
Celtic paid £11m to sign Engels from Bundesliga side Augsburg in the summer of 2024, and Nygren’s impressive form this season means that he is now valued at even more than that.
The Belgium international has only scored two non-penalty goals, with 11 goals in total, whilst the Swedish ace has soared to seven goals for the Scottish giants in his first few months in Glasgow.
Nygren has been incredibly effective in front of goal, particularly in comparison to his teammates, and that has played a part in his CIES valuation soaring through the roof, from the £1.3m that the Hoops paid for him.
This shows that Celtic hit the jackpot with the 24-year-old star because it suggests that they would be able to cash in on him for a substantial profit if they were to decide to part ways with the attacker.
Celtic man was finished under Rodgers, now he can be undroppable for Nancy
Celtic’s wait for a European away win is over, beating Feyenoord 3-1, with a star Brendan Rodgers once labelled “sloppy” playing like an £100m man.
ByBen Gray
For now, though, it does not look like he will be going anywhere any time soon, and Celtic’s new boss may need him more than ever to carry the goalscoring load if Maeda leaves in January.