The fee Celtic received for Reo Hatate has finally emerged, and it represents a solid profit for the club. The Bhoys have brought in a £6.5million fee from Burnley for the signing of the Japanese international, who made the move just before the English transfer deadline.
Hatate leaves behind a successful body of work at Parkhead, winning five Scottish Premiership titles and four more cups. He made 132 league appearances over four years, initially joining Celtic for only £1.4million from Kawasaki Frontale.
Celtic have had plenty of success with Japanese players over the years, including with Daizen Maeda, who made than £10million this summer, and Hatate joined that list.
Things did not end brilliantly. The midfielder had a disappointing season of last and even slipped out of Martin O'Neill's plans. Hatate ended up missing out on the World Cup with Japan, and he went into the summer pushing for a move, hoping to land a challenge in one of the top five leagues.
That opportunity did not come, and perhaps not surprisingly, given he had been struggling for form. But he has found a spot in the Championship with Burnley, who will likely be expecting to challenge for an instant promotion back to the Premier League.
It has now emerged from The Celtic Way that Burnley paid £6.5million for Hatate amid confusion over the fee initially. The Hoops had a steeper price in mind early in the window, but it was clear that a move was not forthcoming, albeit Hatate had already rejected Championship moves earlier in the window to try to land a top move.
Ultimately, he realised he had to settle for what he could get, and that was a top Championship move, where he will play a part in replacing Zian Flemming, who joined Ipswich Town on deadline day.
Hatate should get plenty of minutes down South, and he will be hoping to hit the ground running this weekend.
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