Kyogo Furuhashi's agent, Joel Pannick, has opened up on the Japanese striker's recent Celtic exit.
The 30-year-old completed a January move to French Ligue 1 side Rennes, departing Glasgow's east end after three and a half successful years.
Furuhashi moulded into an undoubted fan-favourite at Celtic, his innate ability to score big goals in big games ensuring he was continually held in high regard.
All good things, however, must come to an end, and Furuhashi's Celtic love story abruptly concluded mid-season.
He no longer wanted to be at the club, and his agent, Pannick, has now delved into his recent exit: "We had teams from all over the world express interest," he said (The Sunday Times).
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"There are certain markets where it would have been a very lucrative contract, but what sporting ambitions would realistically be achieved, particularly with the World Cup in mind in 18 months?
"Then we had to speak to Celtic to understand their perspective because a club has no desire to lose their best player halfway through the season."
Transfers are never simple. Amid wide reports that Furuhashi was set to leave Celtic, he was pictured touching down in Brittany on Thursday, January 23.
He wasn't announced as a new Rennes player until the following Monday.
In the four-day gap, football fans and personalities alike raised concerns that the move had perhaps fallen through, although, as Pannick reveals, there are a multitude of considerations and procedures that must take place before official announcements are made: "These things are never easy", he said.
"Often clubs will talk directly up to a certain point and the big number will be agreed, but then the dates of the payments, bonus structures, future sell-on percentages, these small points can become sticking points.
“There’s no travel booked without the permission of the club. Then, there is usually a two-part medical at a hospital and the training ground. There’s cardio work, blood tests, a general check-up.
"Some clubs are very stringent, others not so much. Then, there is a final check of the paperwork. Your lawyer comes in at that point and the media team will take the player off to take some photos and film a few short videos and coordinate the announcements.”
Since his much-heralded switch to France, Furuhashi has played just over an hour of football.
He started for Rennes in a 1-0 win over Strasbourg last week yet remained an unused substitute as they beat Saint-Etienne 2-0 yesterday.
