Celtic look set to lose one of their top talents within the next week or so as Nicolas Kuhn is closing in on a permanent exit from the Scottish Premiership champions.
Sky Sports reporter Anthony Joseph claims that the club have agreed a fee of around £16.5m with Italian side Como for the left-footed sensation.
The journalist adds that the former RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich youth prospect has already agreed to sign a long-term contract with the Serie A outfit this summer.
Kuhn has reportedly turned down a potential return to Leipzig, who were interested in signing him, and has a medical scheduled with Como for next week, which suggests that an official confirmation is not imminently expected.
It does appear, though, that it is only a matter of time before Celtic confirm that the German winger will not be playing for the club next season, which will come as a blow to Brendan Rodgers.
Why selling Nicolas Kuhn is a blow for Celtic
Whilst the Hoops are set to rake in a significant sum of money for the 25-year-old talent, it is always a blow when a high-quality player moves on, and that is what he is.
The 2024/25 campaign was his first full season in Glasgow, having joined from Rapid Vienna in the January transfer window last year, and he really hit his stride on the right flank.
Kuhn ended the season with a return of 21 goals and 15 assists in 51 appearances in all competitions for the Scottish giants, which shows that he provided quality in the final third on a regular basis for Rodgers.
The left-footed magician’s form in the Premiership, as Celtic won the league title, was particularly impressive, as the forward showcased his ability to both score and create goals.
xG
0.46
Top 10%
Goals
0.62
Top 8%
Shots on target
1.30
Top 14%
xA
0.34
Top 10%
Assists
0.43
Top 10%
Chances created
2.49
Top 12%
As you can see in the table above, Kuhn ranked very highly among his positional peers in a host of key attacking metrics, which shows that he scored and created goals at an exceptional rate.
These statistics illustrate why it will be a big blow for Rodgers when this sale goes through, because he is losing a player who has proven that he can make a huge impact at the top end of the pitch for Celtic.
The Hoops have, of course, already signed Benjamin Nygren on a permanent deal to bolster their options on the flanks, but he does not have the creative quality to fully replace what Kuhn offered.
In the 2024/25 campaign, the Sweden international only managed a return of two assists in 30 Superliga appearances, to go with his impressive haul of 15 goals.
Therefore, Celtic may need to dip into the market to sign another wide option who can provide creativity as well as a goal threat, now that Kuhn appears to be on his way out of the club.
Earlier this summer, it was reported that the Scottish giants are interested in Stoke City forward Million Manhoef, who is valued at £10m by the Championship side, and they should now reignite that interest.
Why Celtic should sign Million Manhoef
The Premiership champions could brilliantly replace Kuhn ahead of the 2025/26 campaign by pushing ahead with a swoop for the Netherlands U21 international, as he would arrive with a similar profile.
Like the German star, the Stoke attacker is a diminutive left-footed right winger who has the quality to both score and create goals in equal measure, as evidenced by his form for the English side last season.
He has not delivered the kind of numbers that Kuhn managed for Celtic yet, as he has not had the chance to play in a team that is as dominant domestically as the Hoops are, which means that there would be a degree of risk.
However, Rodgers can afford to take more of a risk with a player like Manhoef because the club have already brought in Nygren to potentially play on the right wing and, as aforementioned, his haul of 15 goals last season suggests that he could be a good option.
The Stoke star ended the 2024/25 campaign with a return of five goals and five assists in 28 Championship starts, but it is his underlying numbers behind those headline statistics that are even more promising for Celtic.
xG
7.74
Top 9%
Goals
5
Top 21%
Shots on target
26
Top 9%
xA
4.83
Top 14%
Chances created
52
Top 9%
Assists
5
Top 20%
As you can see in the table above, Manhoef excelled at getting into goalscoring positions and at creating chances for his teammates, ranking highly among his positional peers, but was not clinical enough with his finishing.
Pundit David Prutton claimed it would be a “tremendous” move for Manhoef to sign for Celtic, and these statistics suggest that the potential is there for it to be a tremendous move for all parties.
The Dutch wizard, who only recorded five assists from 12 ‘big chances’ created in the Championship, could thrive in a team that dominates games week-in-week-out, as Celtic do.
He has been playing for a midtable team, in Stoke, who do not challenge at the top end of the division in the second tier in England, which suggests that he has not had the opportunity to play in a side that is consistently on the front foot.
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Therefore, Celtic could brilliantly replace Kuhn by gambling on a swoop for Manhoef, who appears to have the potential to explode as a scorer and a creator of goals in a better team than the one he is currently playing in.
