Celtic have been linked with Reo Hatate for quite some time now. The Hoops are a club in need of additions in January and with the Japanese footballing season coming to an end before Christmas, it might be the perfect opportunity for the club to sign players from the J1 League. In fact, there have been several rumours doing the rounds and one of them has surrounded the Kawasaki Frontale star.

Naturally a midfielder, he is capable of playing on both wings as well as a left-back, And the fact that he has been able to showcase this versatility while playing for the back-to-back J1 League champions is even more impressive.

Now though, it is believed that his contract with Kawasaki Frontale is set to run out at the end of January and he could be on his way out of the club.

There have also been suggestions that Celtic could be looking to bring him to Parkhead a few weeks before his contract runs out so that he can take part in the club’s winter training camp, in order to get accustomed to his new team and Ange Postecoglou’s system. That might not be as straightforward as first believed though.

Celtic have been handed major Hatate transfer worry

It appears that Kawasaki Frontale could look for a significant transfer fee in order to let Hatate leave early. As reported by the Daily Record, journalist Dan Orlowitz told Sky Sports:

“I’ve heard that (Kawasaki) Frontale want £2.4m for Hatate, which is fairer. Everyone knows what Celtic paid for Furuhashi.”

If that is the case then it is safe to say that that is a steep transfer fee for a player whose current deal is set to run out in a little over a month. And in that scenario, Celtic might be better placed just to wait for his contract to expire.

It remains to be seen how things turn out in the Hatate to Celtic transfer sage moving forward.