Brendan Rodgers and Celtic are expected to trim several fringe players from the Bhoys squad in the upcoming transfer window.
The Bhoys boss has admitted his playing group is too large and that he wants to reduce overall first-team numbers to around 25 across January and next summer.
Work is already underway and, in fact, the first confirmed exit could come quickly.
The Daily Record reports that Celtic have agreed on a £870,000 fee with Vissel Kobe in Japan to sell midfielder Yosuke Ideguchi, calling time on his ill-fated move to the Bhoys.
Ideguchi arrived in the same transfer window as Reo Hatate and Daizen Maeda during the Ange Postecoglou reign but struggled to make the same impact as his compatriots.
The midfielder picked up an unfortunate injury in a Scottish Cup shortly after joining the Hoops and went on to make just six appearances in total.
He joined Avispa Fukuoka on loan for the 2023 J-League season and impressed in his 32 appearances, even earning a Player of the Year nomination.
Now it appears that Vissel Kobe have won the race for his signature and will allow Celtic to recoup the fee paid for him in the first place.
The J-League transfer window officially opens in mid-January ahead of their 2024 campaign so expect to hear official confirmation of his permanent transfer over the next couple of weeks.
There are plenty of other big contenders to leave the Bhoys next month too as Rodgers looks to shift players who aren’t currently contributing significantly.
Hopefully, it frees up space to bring in the ‘quality’ that the Celtic manager desires.
In other news, Kyogo’s Celtic Park celebration told a story as Brendan Rodgers notes how he’s feeling right now.
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