For the third summer in succession, Scottish champions Celtic have witnessed one of their star attractions fly the nest, with Nicolas Kuhn joining Jota and Matt O’Riley in seeking out pastures new.
Signed for just £3m from Rapid Vienna back in January 2024, the German winger has since been sold on for a healthy profit, with ambitious Serie A side Como forking out an initial fee of around £16.5m for his signature.
On the face of it, losing a player who scored 21 times last season in all competitions is a real blow for Brendan Rodgers, albeit with it fair to say that the 25-year-old blew hot and cold during his 18-month stint in Glasgow.
Indeed, the mercurial left-footer scored just three goals during the tail-end of 2023/24, having also only scored seven times across all competitions in 2025. Sandwiched in between that, of course, was his 14 goals at the start of 2024/25.
On that evidence, Kuhn is not exactly irreplaceable, albeit while remaining a key figure that Rodgers needs to replace. Thankfully, it looks like work is being done on that front.
Latest on Celtic's search for a winger
With Kuhn and Luis Palma out the door – and with the returning Jota sidelined with injury – the signing of a new recruit on the flanks is imperative. As it is, the wait goes on to see if Royal Antwerp star Michel Ange Balikwisha will be the man to fill the void, having repeatedly been linked with a move to Parkhead.
Previously also a target in January, the Belgian forward is the name on everyone’s lips right now, with his agent Jibril Rekkab outlining to the Daily Record that his client would be interested in joining the Premiership side, albeit with talks yet to take place:
“Michel-Ange is not closed to the idea of joining Celtic, but the club would still have to come forward. No discussions are underway.”
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Elsewhere, meanwhile, parallel moves appear to be being made, with The Herald reporting that Celtic have seen a £1.5m bid rejected for Go Ahead Eagles winger, Jakob Breum, already this summer.
As per the report, that bid for the Danish talent fell below the Dutch outfit’s £5m valuation, with club director Jan Willem van Dop stating that such offers had been “so far apart” from their price tag.
If a compromise could be met later down the line, it’s fair to say that the 21-year-old would be a more than worthy alternative to Balikwisha.
How Breum compares to Balikwisha
Described by talent scout Jacek Kulig as “an underrated creative winger” who has “such an interesting future ahead”, Breum has captured the interest of those at Celtic Park amid his sparkling displays in the Netherlands of late.
Comfortable operating in a number ten berth or on either flank, the young Dane enjoyed a particularly fruitful 2024/25 campaign, having scored 11 times and registered six assists in just 31 games in all competitions.
That return – which takes his total tally for the club to 14 goals and ten assists in 68 games – included a haul of ten goals and five assists from just 26 outings in the Eredivisie, the top-flight of Dutch football.
For context, that league is deemed to be the 12th best in the world, according to Global Football Rankings, with the Premiership only ranking in a lowly 43rd on that list. Making the leap to Scotland should not be too much of an issue it would be seem.
Balikwisha, meanwhile, has been operating in the eighth-best league – the Belgian Pro League – although his recent injury woes might be of concern, having scored just four times and registered only three assists in 18 games last time out.
Games (starts)
33 (27)
26 (23)
Goals
7
10
Goal frequency
362min
206min
Big chances missed
6
4
Assists
5
5
Big chances created
6
6
Key passes*
1.5
1.7
Successful dribbles*
0.7
0.9
Tackles & interceptions*
3.1
1.1
Balls recovered*
3.9
4.5
The year prior, the 24-year-old still only registered seven goals and six assists in the league, with the table above outlining that it is Breum who comes out on top across a string of attacking metrics.
Indeed, the younger man averaged more key passes and successful dribbles per game, outlining his creative attacking threat, while also enjoying the superior record with regard to balls recovered per game, showcasing his ability to press from the front.
At just 21 too, Breum might well be the more exciting long-term option, with Balikwisha’s return of 29 goals and 17 assists in 141 games for Antwerp not exactly the most eye-catching total.
The question now remains which of the two – if either – will end up in Glasgow, and whether or not they can actually fill Kuhn’s shoes on the flanks…
As exciting as Balikwisha: Celtic contenders to sign "outstanding" star
Celtic are one of the contenders to secure a deal for a star who would be as exciting as Michel-Ange Balikwisha.
ByDan EmeryJul 23, 2025