Celtic ‘open’ talks with Reo Hatate as Rodgers seeks to secure key player on new contract

Kyogo Furuhashi, Daizen Maeda, Callum McGregor and Liel Abada have already penned extended deals this summer and they are now looking to tie down their latest key man.

Celtic and Reo Hatate have begun negotiations on a new long-term contract, it has been reported. Hatate is currently contracted to the Hoops until 2026, but the club are keen to tie him down for an extended period of time, similar to key team-mates such as Furuhashi, Maeda, McGregor and Abada who all signed new contracts this summer. Hatate asked for negotiations to be put on hold until the close of the summer window, and the Daily Mail reports that talks have now begun between the club’s hierarchy and the player.

Hatate was ruled out for the rest of the season after sustaining a knock after coming on as a substitute against Aberdeen last month, but he is back fit and firing as Brendan Rodgers revealed in his pre-match media conference this week that he is available to take on Dundee. Hatate’s return comes at a crucial time for the Hoops ahead of their Champions League opener against Feyenoord next week in Rotterdam.

Rodgers said in an interview earlier this week that there are no further injuries from the international break. “Reo Hatate is coming back, which is good news for us. He’s been training. For some of them, it’s just a question of when to come back because some of them have been out for a while.”

The key will be to find the right style of play, at the right time and with the right amount of playing time so they don’t overload themselves, but it’s good to have them back. Marco Tilio has returned to training but has missed the entire pre-season, so we’re just waiting for the right time to bring him back. Cameron Carter Vickers is progressing well and should be back by the start of October, hopefully on schedule.

Maik Nawrocki has been out for a while but is expected to be back in time for the start of October. Kobayashi has returned to training and we’re starting to get some players back which is a good thing.