Celtic need a left-sided centre-back to partner Cameron Carter-Vickers. They brought in Auston Trusty last summer but that did not work out as well as expected. The American put in some decent performances here and there but overall, he was far from convincing. As a result, Liam Scales was back as a starter by the end of the season.
Most fans believe that Celtic can find an improvement on Scales. He is viewed as a decent squad player but not someone who should be starting week in and week out for the Hoops.
Celtic have found a decent bit of success recruiting players from the J-League in recent times. Kyogo, Reo Hatate and Daizen Maeda will go down as club heroes, having played their part in four consecutive league triumphs. And even though Tomoki Iwata did not shine, he was solid enough when given a chance.
Celtic did sign a Japanese centre-back as well. Yuki Kobayashi was brought in from Vissel Kobe but failed to find his feet in Europe. Now, it looks like the Hoops are hoping that it is second time lucky.
Celtic quietly working on deal to sign Japanese centre-back
As reported by The Herald, Celtic are working on a move for Hayato Inamura. The 23-year-old Albirex Niigata defender primarily plays as a left-sided centre-back but can also provide cover at left-back.
Inamura has made 33 senior appearances for Albirex Niigata so far. And it looks like they were enough to catch the eye of Celtic.
There had been no mentions of Inamura as being someone Celtic were interested in until this report. So, it looks like the Hoops have been working quietly in the background. The Hoops have struggled to replace Carl Starfelt for the past two years now. One can only hope that they have got their scouting right this time.