Celtic completed their first signing of the summer transfer window last week when they confirmed the arrival of Kieran Tierney from Arsenal on a free transfer.
The Scotland international will officially link up with his new teammates when his deal with the Premier League giants expires at the end of this month.
Tierney is not going to be the last signing to walk through the doors at Parkhead this summer, though, as the Hoops are reportedly closing in on the signing of Sweden international Benjamin Nygren.
Sky Sports journalist Anthony Joseph claims that the club are close to agreeing a deal worth around £2m with FC Nordsjaelland to sign the right-sided attacker.
This means that the Scottish Premiership champions are set to dip into the Danish market, having raided England, France, Germany, Scotland, Belgium, and Spain.
One country the club have not done much business in since Brendan Rodgers returned to Parkhead is Japan, which is where they snapped Daizen Maeda up from.
Celtic have hit gold with Daizen Maeda
The Hoops swooped to sign the Japanese forward from J1 League outfit Yokohama F. Marinos in January 2022 on an initial loan deal, which was then made permanent that summer.
Maeda had scored 26 goals in 70 matches for Yokohama F. Marinos before his move to Scotland, but he was unproven in European football and it was a gamble by Ange Postecoglou to bring him to Glasgow.
It is one that has paid off big time for Celtic, though, as the Japan international has developed into a star at Parkhead, and could be sold for big money this summer.
The 27-year-old is coming off the back of his best season in the Premiership for the Scottish giants, having previously offered a decent threat in front of goal in the league in his first two-and-a-half years.
Appearances
16
35
28
34
Goals
6
8
6
16
Conversion rate
18%
21%
13%
28%
Big chances created
5
6
5
10
Assists
5
5
3
10
As you can see in the table above, scored more than twice as many goals and produced twice as many assists as he did in the 2023/24 campaign.
This has led to reported interest from Liverpool, Arsenal, and Leeds United, with a £25m price tag placed on his head, which shows that Celtic have hit the jackpot with Maeda, because he is now an incredibly valuable asset and star performer.
The Scottish giants have not made a signing from Japan since they made Tomoki Iwata’s loan permanent in the summer of 2023, but they are now reportedly eyeing up a new addition from the J1 League.
Celtic eyeing deal for Japanese defender
According to Celtic Way writer Stephen McGowan, Celtic are working on a deal to sign Albirex Niigata centre-back Hayato Inamura in the summer transfer window.
The report claims that the Hoops are interested in signing the 23-year-old defender to bolster their options at the back, as he provides versatility with his ability to play as a centre-back or as a left-back.
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McGowan’s article adds that Nygren is ‘on the brink’ of signing for the Premiership champions, and that Fulham’s Callum Osmand and Aberdeen’s Ross Doohan are also set to join to bolster Rodgers’ options across the park.
Inamura could be another signing on top of those potential deals, in what Celtic Way journalist Ryan McGinlay described as a “surprise move” for the “versatile stopper”.
If the Hoops can get a transfer for the Japanese centre-back over the line in the coming weeks, then the 23-year-old star could be a Maeda repeat for the club.
Why Inamura could be a Maeda repeat for Celtic
As aforementioned, Celtic hit the jackpot with Maeda as they snapped him up from the J1 League and provided him with a platform to develop into a £25m-rated asset thanks to his performances in recent seasons.
The Hoops could strike gold from the J1 League one again by signing Inamura this summer, because he is an exciting young defensive talent who could come in to improve the manager’s options at the back.
Inamura is a left-footed centre-back, who can also play left-back, and this means that he would arrive at Parkhead to compete with Liam Scales and Auston Trusty for a starting berth in the team next to Cameron Carter-Vickers.
His performances in the J1 League during the 2025 campaign so far suggest that he has the potential to come in as an upgrade on Celtic’s two current options in that position.
Appearances
13
26
22
Tackles + interceptions*
1.7
1.9
2.3
Ball recoveries*
5.4
3.9
3.3
Clearances*
5.1
4.8
4.0
Error led to shot/goal
1
1
5
Penalties committed
0
1
0
As you can see in the table above, Inamura could make more defensive interventions per game for the Hoops, with far more clearances and recoveries than the Hoops duo.
He could also be more reliable as a defender. The Japanese titan has only made one error that has led to a shot, goal, or penalty in 25 J1 League games in his career, whilst Trusty, for example, made five such errors in just 22 league outings in the 2024/25 campaign.
Therefore, Inamura could come in as an upgrade on Scales and Trusty in the left-sided centre-back position by offering more quality defensively, and fewer big errors, which also may be why the club are eyeing up a deal to bring him to Glasgow.
If he can translate his J1 League form over to the Premiership, the 23-year-old enforcer could be a regular starter next to Carter-Vickers and establish himself as a star for the Hoops, which would make him a Maeda repeat as another successful signing from the Japanese market.
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