Celtic's chase of Japanese duo based around 'insane numbers' as Yosuke Ideguchi move queried

Celtic would be getting a bargain in signing Daizen Maeda and Reo Hatate for fees less than £2million, according to a Japanese football expert.

Daizen Maeda is a hot property in Japan.

The duo have been heavily linked with a move to Celtic as Ange Postecoglou scours the market in the Far East to reinforce his squad.

Yokohama F Marinos forward Maeda, who is the top scorer in the J-League, and Kawasaki Frontale full-back Hatate as seen as big players in the Japanese market and Japan Times journalist Dan Orlowitz believes they are being undersold for the fees quoted.

"If Hatate and Maeda go for anything less than £2.5million to £3million, it's highway robbery," Orlowitz said.

"These are young players whose future lies with the national team, they just represented Japan at the Tokyo Olympics, 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 fairer. Everyone knows what Celtic paid for Furuhashi.

"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."

Celtic are also looking at Gamba Osaka midfielder Yosuke Ideguchi, who had a spell in the UK with Leeds United, but Orlowitz is less convinced about that move.

"I don't know, Ange clearly sees something in him,” Orlowitz continued on Sky Sports on Ideguchi being linked with Celtic.

"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 then, 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 of."

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