Celtic to seal £3m transfer as club choose Hoops-bound star’s replacement

Rapid Vienna have already found Nicolas Kuhn’s replacement as Scottish Premiership champions Celtic prepare to announce the signing of the £3 million winger. 

While clearly not everybody has been convinced by Nicolas Kuhn’s spell in Austria – one expert particularly scathing in his assessment of the forward’s ‘terrible’ finishing and his injury record – Celtic obviously feel that he is a £3 million risk worth taking (Scottish Sun).

HITC Football reported last week that The Hoops had entered advanced talks with Rapid Vienna. And Kuhn, who is understood to have undergone medical tests at the Glasgow giants, should be unveiled sooner rather than later after Rapid Vienna ‘completed’ their pursuit of his replacement.

Celtic set to sign Nicolas Kuhn

According to Austrian publication Krone, sporting director Markus Katzer has given Kuhn’s sale the green light. That is because Rapid are expected to step up their interest in Elayis Tavsan, a similarly twinkle-toed, jet-heeled wideman who’s contract at Eredivisie outfit NEC Nijmegen has just a few months left to run.

Kuhn, who represented Bayern Munich, Ajax and RB Leipzig at youth level, was left out of a friendly clash between Rapid and Wiener Sport Club on Saturday.

“If there was a league game, Kuhn could play,” explained head coach Robert Klauss. “But we don’t want to risk anything.”

Celtic legend Chris Sutton, meanwhile, is hoping that Kuhn can be the exception rather than the rule as far as Brendan Rodgers’ rather concerning recruitment record is concerned, with many of the manager’s signings flattering to deceive in Scotland.

Rapid Vienna have replacement lined up

“(Ange) Postecoglou was ahead of the game. (Reo) Hatate was, and is, brilliant. Matt O’Riley, no-one was really looking at him either, performing for MK Dons,” Sutton explains to the Daily Record.

“Rodgers now needs to be ahead of the game in the same way. (He needs to) find this year’s versions of Hatate and O’Riley. And not, with respect, versions of Jeremy Toljan or Oli Burke.

“Nicolas Kuhn feels project to me. And Rodgers has been quite clear he wants quality and not projects. So will the German be a Daizen Maeda or a Marian Shved?”

Kuhn has three goals and seven assists for Rapid Vienna this season.

In terms of outgoings, Celtic could look to move on Gustaf Lagerbielka, Alexandro Bernabei, Yuki Kobayashi and Benjamin Siegrist. They have already sent Yosuke Ideguchi back to Japan.

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