Celtic make Reo Hatate exit decision after receiving £10m bid

Celtic have already said goodbye to one key starter this summer in the form of Matt O'Riley, with the Danish international moving to Brighton & Hove Albion after spending two-and-a-half years in Glasgow. He was signed in early 2022 from MK Dons for a transfer fee believed to be around £1.5 million and departs in a Scottish record £30 million move.

In that same window, another midfielder Celtic signed was Reo Hatate. For a long time, he was ahead of O'Riley in the pecking order at Parkhead.

But Hatate dealt with a number of injuries last season and did not feature a lot as a result. Hopefully, the Japanese international is able to put those fitness issues behind him and have a fantastic 24/25 campaign. He has made a bright start.

Also, as reported by the Daily Mail (via The Scottish Sun), an unnamed Ligue 1 side made a £10 million offer for Hatate. The Scottish champions did not entertain the approach and were not even interested in entering any discussions. It was swiftly turned down by Celtic chiefs and the club have made it clear that he is not available for transfer this summer.

Celtic make Reo Hatate exit decision after receiving £10m bid

That is certainly the right decision on the part of Celtic. They cannot afford to lose two of their key starters in the middle of the park in the same window.

Their focus right now has to be on finding a replacement for O'Riley, not considering Hatate possibly also leaving. Rumours have suggested that the Hoops are pushing to sign Arne Engels of FC Augsburg late in the window and are open to shelling out a club-record fee to do that.

The last few days of the summer transfer window are going to be very interesting. But unless something unexpected happens, Hatate will remain a Celtic player by the end.