Celtic midfielder Reo Hatate has rejected a new contract offer, according to a report.
The Scottish Sun say that the Japanese midfielder has turned down the offer of an extension to his stay in Glasgow.
The outlet reports that Celtic had recently opened talks with the 25-year-old’s representatives, making their future intentions about a new deal clear.
Hatate signed a four-and-a-half year contract when he joined alongside compatriots Daizen Maeda and Yosuke Ideguchi on the final day of 2021. (Celtic)
He’s only been in Scotland for around 20 months, meaning that his deal still has almost three years to run, expiring in the summer of 2026.
Celtic have already tied down the likes of Callum McGregor, Kyogo Furuhashi and Daizen Maeda to new deals this summer, and it was hoped that a similar arrangement could be reached with Hatate. However, that may be a more difficult task.
We’re still in a pretty strong position with regards to the former Kawasaki Frontale man. Given his undoubted quality, many would expect him to exit the club next summer at the latest.
At that stage he will still have two years of his deal to run, meaning we can ask for big money with some anticipating that his departure could even surpass the record £25m fees we received for both Jota and Kieran Tierney.
Of course, Hatate will need to have another strong showing this season to earn that recognition. He’s currently out with a calf injury although Brendan Rodgers did recently confirm it was not a long-term issue.
The update over his contract is disappointing as many may have hoped for a big boost in the form of an extension. However, it does seem like there’s a bigger issue at play here.
That is Hatate getting fit and back to being a star player for the team. We sure need him at the moment.
In other news, Neil Lennon reckons that Celtic will bring in “quality” before the end of the transfer window
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