Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has dismissed the speculation linking striker Kyogo Furuhashi with a move to Manchester City as “gossip”.

The Japanese international, who has scored 51 goals since signing from Vissel Kobe in 2021, has been linked with the Premier League champions as a possible replacement for Julian Alvarez.

City have added just one player to their squad so far, winger Savinho joining from Troyes, who made his debut last weekend before going off injured at the end of the first half.

There seemed to be little rush to replace Alvarez, with Oscar Bobb set for a bigger role in the squad but he suffered a fractured leg in training and is set to be out until December,

This leaves City short of out-and-out striking options and Pep Guardiola is unlikely to risk Erling Haaland as his only option until December, but whether they make contact with Celtic over Furuhashi remains to be seen.

The forward is well known to City staff as he previously played for Yokohama F Marinos, who are part of the City Group. He played under then-manager Ange Postecoglou who then took him to Scotland.

He scored 27 goals as Celtic won the domestic treble in 2022/23 and was rewarded with a new four-year contract, tying him to the club until 2027.

“Naturally it comes and we just deal with it,” Rodgers said when addressing the media. “But there’s been nothing from Man City. It’s obviously rumour and gossip.

“I haven’t spoken to him directly on that. If I was speaking to every player around gossip and speculation, I would be 24 hours a day. It’s of no interest to me. My focus is very much here with Celtic and preparing the team for the game at the weekend.”

The 29-year-old missed last weekend’s Scottish League Cup win over Hibernian with a recurring shoulder issue but he is set to return to the squad for Sunday’s trip to St Mirren.

“Most importantly for me is he is now back feeling comfortable on the grass. He has been brilliant in training the last couple of days and he will be available for the weekend,” added Rodgers.