Celtic could replace Kyogo with Mathias Kvistgaarden if the Japanese leaves this month (Image: Getty)
have made contact with Mathias Kvistgaarden’s camp since the start of the January transfer window as looks to spruce up his forward line.
The Hoops are unlikely to swoop for Kvistgaarden this winter unless Kyogo Furuhashi leaves the club. But with MLS side Atlanta United strongly linked to Kyogo, that remains a possibility.
Kvistgaarden has been on the radar of Celtic chiefs for 18 months, and his sparkling form this season has made him an even more attractive prospect. The 22-year-old striker has hit 10 goals and laid on four assists in 15 Danish Superliga games for Brondby.
Express Sport understands that clubs from England and Germany are also attentive to Kvistgaarden’s situation. Brondby would prefer to keep hold of their top scorer until the end of the season but a January sale has not been written off by the club’s hierarchy.
The Danish club’s director of football, Benjamin Schmedes, said earlier this week: “We want to have a strong team, which means we want to hold on to our best players as we want to be successful at the end of the season and beyond. But you can’t always control how much is happening, as you don’t know which offers are coming in.”
Kvistgaarden has been steadily improving season after season, and he has already smashed his career-best goals total this campaign with 14 in 22 matches across all competitions.
Mathias Kvistgaarden has been amongst the goals for Brondby this season (Image: Getty)
The youngster, who has earned caps up to U21 level with Denmark, would be open to leaving Brondby. “It would be great if [offers] came from outside,” he told in November. “You dream of leaving at some point but I am enjoying every single second I wear this shirt.”
Kvistgaarden’s immediate future is still likely to boil down to whether a spot opens up at Parkhead, or whether one of his other suitors strikes first. Celtic could come back in for him this summer if a January move does not materialise.
Rodgers has confirmed that Kyogo will be in contention to play against Ross County this afternoon (Saturday) despite his links to the States.
“I can guarantee you that he’ll be on the coach and travelling to Ross County, he’s certainly not in the MLS,” said Rodgers. “In this period of time, there’s always speculation around players, especially talented players, so I’m sure that will continue to be the case over the coming weeks.”
Celtic have prioritised signing a new winger this January, with Sarpsborg star Sondre Orjasaeter emerging as a prominent target.