Nicolas Kuhn could face his former Celtic teammates just weeks after departing Glasgow, with the winger eyeing a reunion at the inaugural Football On The Lake tournament in Italy.
Kuhn joined ambitious Serie A side Como in a £17 million switch earlier this summer, linking up with a side led by Cesc Fabregas. The German spent 18 months in green and white, and he’s hoping to come up against his old side in the pre-season competition on the banks of Lake Como.
Celtic face Ajax in Thursday’s semi-final, with the winners set to meet either Como or Al-Ahli in Sunday’s final. A third-place play-off awaits for the two losing sides.
Speaking ahead of the four-team tournament, Kuhn revealed the light-hearted farewell he shared with the Celtic dressing room before heading for Italy.
“Just before I left Glasgow, we were joking,” he said. “So I didn’t actually say goodbye, I said see you in two weeks. So now I’m looking forward to seeing all the lads back here. It will be nice.”
And while Kuhn has ties to Ajax from earlier in his career, he made no secret of which reunion would mean more.
“I hope we play Celtic,” he added, quoted by TCW. “Obviously I know a lot of players from Ajax as well. But Celtic would be something special.”
Brendan Rodgers will use the competition as a chance to fine-tune his squad ahead of the new campaign, with several youngsters and new arrivals expected to feature heavily.
Celtic will be getting their season started in under two weeks now, with St Mirren making the trip to Parkhead for Flag Day.
For Kuhn, this pre-season clash is a chance to show his progress under Fabregas — but also to share a pitch again with the squad he left behind.
