Daizen Maeda is someone who Celtic have been linked with for some time now. The rumours first emerged around a month back and have not gone away since then. And it is not hard to see why the Hoops might be interested in bringing the Yokohama F. Marinos superstar to Parkhead in the upcoming January transfer window. Can they though and what kind of a transfer fee would they need to shell out?

Maeda has been one of the standout performers in the J1 League this season and is currently leading the scoring charts despite not being an out-and-out striker.

According to stats from Transfermarkt, Maeda has scored 22 goals and provided 5 assists in 35 J1 League appearances this season. Those are sensational stats for any player.

And it does not look like it will not take an astronomical transfer fee to bring him to Parkhead. As reported by the Daily Record, it would take a £3 million plus bid to get a deal over the line for Maeda.

Celtic could sign Maeda for surprising transfer fee in January

Just for comparison, it is believed that Celtic had to shell out a transfer fee around £4.6 million to sign Kyogo from Vissel Kobe in the summer.

With the success that the Japanese star has enjoyed at Parkhead since then, many might have felt that the club might have to shell out bigger transfer fees if they tried to sign J1 League players in the future but it does not look like that will be the case.

In the modern day transfer market, a transfer fee around £3 million for a player who is currently leading the scoring charts in a competitive league and doing so without being an out-and-out striker seems almost like a bargain.

On top of everything else, one must remember that Maeda already has experience of playing under the management of Ange Postecoglou. Thus, he could be the perfect signing this January.