Reo Hatate is reportedly a target for Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad. The Jeddah club signed Karim Benzema earlier this summer as they attempt to build their product to compete with European football by the signings of top talents, such as Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo and N’Golo Kante to name but a few.
Now, an account on Twitter associated with Al-Ittihad, the Japanese Internationalist could be the next to be targetted by the super-rich league. It is not clear whether this is a reputable source but with 138k followers, there may be some genuine interest in the 25-year-old.
🚨 عكاظ – الماس : المحور الياباني ريو هاتاتي محور سيلتك الاسكتلندي ( 25 عام ) قريب من نادي الاتحاد. pic.twitter.com/dbExnJA6vp
— المدرج | الذهبي (@A1modrj) June 26, 2023
Hatate has made 66 appearances for Celtic since arriving from Kawasaki Frontale in the January of 2022. In that time, Reo scored thirteen times and assisted a further fourteen times. The midfielder was exceptional last season and could go to another level under Brendan Rodgers. Although, with Ange heading for Spurs, he may fancy a move to the English Premier League.
There is certainly a marketing argument for pursuing Hatate. The midfielder is undoubtedly a talent but he is on the cusp of making a breakthrough with the National Team and this could lend itself to boosting the profile of the Saudi league in Japan. If the Saudi club mounted a bid for Hatate, Celtic could make a substantial amount of money given their insistence upon paying through the nose for top talent.
Celtic do not need to sell.
Forget all the junk stories about Veltic players going anywhere, the club and player will talk should a confirmed offer be made, only then will Celtic agree to a transfer.
All these dumb stories are a waste of Time.