A J-LEAGUE expert has branded reported fees Celtic will pay for Daizen Maeda, Reo Hatate and Yosuke Ideguchi as “insane”.
Japan Times journalist Dan Orlowitz went so far as to say it’d be “highway robbery” if Celtic were to pull off such coups as to sign either Hatate or Maeda for anything less than £2.5million.
Ange Postecoglou is reportedly lining up a triple swoop for the J-League stars in January.
And Orlowitz has been shocked at how little Celtic could pay to prise the talents from Japan to Glasgow with a £1.5m fee rumoured for Maeda.
And despite the reported low prices, Orlowitz stated that he believes clubs will do their best to negotiate a fee after seeing Celtic pay £4.6m for Kyogo Furuhashi in the summer.
Discussing the possible transfer fees on Sky Sports News, Orlowitz said: “If Hatate or Maeda go for anything less than £2.5m to £3m, it’s highway robbery.
“These are young players whose future lie with the national team, they did just represent Japan at the Tokyo Olympics, they could represent Japan at the 2022 World Cup and one or two World Cups beyond that.
“So it’s insane I’m seeing numbers like £1.5m for Maeda.
“I’ve heard that (Kawasaki) Frontale want £2.4m for Hatate, which is a bit fairer. Everyone knows what Celtic paid for Furuhashi.
????️”You have this potentially fascinating line from the holding midfield position to the goal, if they all sign.”
Dan Orlowitz from the Japan Times explains what Celtic would be getting in Daizen Maeda, Reo Hatate and Yosuke Ideguchi ???? pic.twitter.com/uWJyDS5932
— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) December 6, 2021
“All the clubs are going to want to make sure they’re not getting done over with an overly inexpensive transfer fee or a free transfer.”
Maeda and Hatate were both included in Best XI at the J-League awards recently showing their calibre.
Maeda also collected the co-golden boot winner for top goalscorer in the league with Hatate, first registered as a foward, playing between midfield and left-back during the season.
Lesser known if holding-midfielder Ideguchi from Gamba Osaka. And journalist Orlowitz revealed he’s unsure if the player would make it into the Celtic first-team or even earn a work-permit.
Outlining Ideguchi, he said: “I don’t know, Ange clearly sees something in him.
“Maybe he saw the amazing goal Ideguchi scored against Australia in the final round of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup.
“But is he a player that can break into the Celtic first team right now? I don’t know.
“Is he a player who can even qualify for a work permit in Scotland? That’s a very open question right now.
“We don’t know if he has the caps or would be able to get an exception.
“If Celtic see him as a project, low risk high reward, if he joins and settles in well he has a lot of upside.
“And I think Celtic are looking at players with a lot of upside who they can invest a little on and get a lot out from.”
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