Celtic are reportedly closing in on the signing of Kawasaki Frontale defender Reo Hatate as the January transfer window approaches.

What's the story?

According to the Daily Mail (as relayed by the Daily Record), the Hoops are expected to bring the 24-year-old to Glasgow on a free transfer at the beginning of 2022.

Hatate's contract is set to expire in January and he was left in tears as he said farewell to Frontale fans after their most recent title success, indicating that an imminent exit is on the cards.

Talks between Celtic and the attack-minded left-back are said to be "well down the road" as Hoops manager Ange Postecoglou continues his rebuild at Parkhead.

He would be a dream transfer for Ange

Securing Hatate's signature could be a dream transfer for Postecoglou after the 56-year-old admitted that further reinforcements are needed following Thursday's 3-2 defeat at the hands of Bayer Leverkusen.

He said: “There is no doubt. We are still just four or five months into building a team and it was never going to happen in one transfer window.

“We know that we need more depth and players in certain areas that I think can help us to bridge the gap. You look at the Leverkusen side and they have quality all the way through.

“What we want to do is be able to compete at that level and we need to continue to look to improve our squad and add depth so that we can compete in lots of competitions.”

When taking into account just how impressive Hatate has been for Kawasaki Frontale in recent months, the former Japan under-21 international appears to be an ideal fit for Celtic's ongoing revolution.

In his 29 J-League appearances throughout 2021, the £720k-rated gem bagged five goals and laid on a further two assists for his teammates, creating three big chances and providing 1.1 key passes per game along the way.

The player who Opta analyst Sacha Pisani claimed “has a rocket of a left foot” also impressed in the defensive aspect of his game, averaging 1.4 interceptions and 1.3 tackles per league match, while winning 5.3 duels per fixture.

Therefore, he could be an ideal acquisition over the winter as Celtic seek to reclaim their Premiership crown and end Rangers' reign as Scottish champions.

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