Celtic have already lost one of their best players during the summer transfer window, as Nicolas Kuhn recently completed a permanent move to Italian side Como.
The Scottish Premiership champions reportedly raked in an initial fee of £16.5m for the German winger, who joined the club from Rapid Vienna at the start of 2024.
Kuhn scored 24 goals and provided 18 assists in 69 appearances for the Hoops in all competitions during his 18-month stay in Glasgow, which shows that Brendan Rodgers has lost a huge attacking talent from his squad.
The left-footed winger may not be the last star player to move on from Parkhead before the end of the window, though, as Daizen Maeda has also been linked with an exit.
TEAMtalk claims that Tottenham Hotspur, Everton, West Ham United, and Brentford are all keen on the forward, who is valued at £25m by the Hoops.
It now remains to be seen, though, whether or not any of those Premier League clubs are willing to stump up the cash required to sign the Japan international this summer.
Why selling Maeda would be a big loss for Celtic
Losing Maeda would be a big blow for Celtic and Rodgers because they would be losing a player who delivered outstanding performances in the 2024/25 campaign.
The 27-year-old attacker, as shown by the post above, won the Player of the Year award in the Scottish Premiership, which speaks to how highly he is valued in Scotland.
Maeda earned that award by delivering goals and assists on a regular basis in the division, whilst playing on the left and through the middle as a striker, which was a far cry from what he produced in the 2023/24 campaign in Rodgers’ first season back at the club.
Appearances
28
34
xG
8.29
12.76
Shots on target
25
28
Goals
6
16
xA
1.70
5.99
Assists
3
10
As you can see in the table above, the Japanese attacker’s output as both a scorer and a creator of goals soared last term, scoring ten more goals and providing seven more assists.
He went from underperforming his xG by over two goals to overperforming his xG by over three goals, which speaks to his development at Parkhead and why it would be such a blow to lose him this summer.
However, Celtic have been replacing their best players, like Virgil van Dijk, Matt O’Riley, Odsonne Edouard and others, for many years, and they are reportedly eyeing a forward who could be even better than Maeda.
Celtic have had bid rejected for a striker
According to iAM Sports, Celtic are pursuing a deal to sign CFR Cluj centre-forward Louis Munteanu, as they look to bolster their options at the top end of the pitch.
The report claims that the Hoops have already made an offer to the Romanian side for the 22-year-old striker, worth around £7m, but their bid was turned down.
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It adds that CFR Cluj owner Ioan Varga rejected the offer from the Scottish giants because he is currently holding out for a fee closer to £15m for the impressive young forward.
The outlet states that Rennes, Nice, and Lille are also interested in signing the Romania U21 international, but it remains to be seen whether or not they are prepared to pay the £15m that CFR Cluj are demanding for his services.
Celtic may be hoping that those clubs are not willing to pay that price and that Varga decides to lower the valuation later in the window, which could then present the Hoops with an opportunity to go back in for him again.
Why Celtic should sign Louis Munteanu
If CFR Cluj lower his valuation to an attainable figure for the Scottish giants, Munteanu could be an excellent signing for Celtic as a replacement for Maeda, should the Japanese star move on from Parkhead this summer.
Celtic, as aforementioned, would lose a lot of goals from the team if a Premier League club signs the Japan international, but the CFR Cluj centre-forward would make up for that with the goals that he could provide.
In the 2024/25 campaign, Munteanu scored an impressive 25 goals in all competitions for his club, whilst he has also scored six goals in 20 caps for his country at U21 level.
Talent scout Jacek Kulig described the former Fiorentina youngster’s season as “magnificent”, and it is hard to disagree with that claim when you look at his statistics at league level, which suggest that he could be even better than Maeda as a goalscorer for Rodgers.
Appearances
35
34
Shots on target per game
1.7
0.8
Goals
23
16
Goals per game
0.7
0.5
Big chances missed
16
17
Big chances created
7
10
Duels won per game
3.4
3.1
As you can see in the table above, the 22-year-old attacker scored seven more goals, whilst missing fewer ‘big chances’, than Maeda at league level last term, and only created seven fewer ‘big chances’.
This suggests that, if Munteanu can adapt to the Premiership, the Romanian marksman could come in as an even better forward option for Celtic because of his ability to find the back of the net on a regular basis, whilst also being able to create opportunities for his teammates.
At the age of 22, the £15m-rated striker is also five years younger than Maeda and, therefore, has more time left ahead of him to develop and improve even further, to be an even bigger upgrade on the Japanese ace in the future.
This is why the Scottish giants should swoop to sign the CFR Cluj star, should a deal become viable this summer, as a potential replacement for Maeda, as he could be even better at the top end of the pitch for Celtic with his ability to score and create goals.
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