Celtic have seen quite a few key players leave in recent times. Last summer, Matt O'Riley headed to Brighton & Hove Albion. In January, Kyogo joined Rennes in what turned out to be a bad mistake and he has already moved again and is now at Birmingham City. And recently, Nicolas Kuhn has headed to Como FC.
Celtic fans will be keen for the team to hold on to the rest of their core. That has not stopped Daizen Maeda from being linked with Premier League clubs like Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United and more.
Maeda is coming off the best season of his career. He scored 33 goals last season and has provided 12 assists in just 51 games.
As reported by Football Insider, Celtic are pushing to agree a new contract with Maeda. Pete O'Rourke said:
"I think the player is happy at Celtic, especially if they’re competing in the Champions League and winning silverware, he’ll be happy to extend his contract.
“Celtic are looking to build their team around Maeda and won’t want to lose their number-one forward right now."
Celtic pushing to agree new contract with superstar
If Celtic are able to agree a new deal with Maeda, it would have to be considered a major coup for the Hoops. The Japanese forward has been able to establish himself as a talisman for Brendan Rodgers' side.
Maeda has terrific improvement over the past few years for sure, especially since the appointment of Rodgers as manager. Now, it remains to be seen if he is ready to continue on at Parkhead. Suggestions are that he is happy but then, things can change quickly, if offers come in from top clubs in the Premier League.
Of course, just keeping players around won't be enough to help Celtic progress. They will need to bring in fresh faces as well. Kieran Tierney and Benjamin Nygren look like great additions but more is needed before the summer transfer window closes. Let's hope that the club show the ambition that is required to convince Rodgers to sign an extension as well.