Celtic midfielder Reo Hatate has rejected a new contract at the club amid links with Tottenham Hotspur earlier this summer.
Tottenham Hotspur may have one eye on Reo Hatate and his contract situation at Celtic.
The Scottish Sun report that Hatate has now rejected the offer of a new contract at Parkhead.
Hatate – hailed as a ‘fantastic player’ by James McFadden – still has three years left on his contract at Celtic but the Bhoys are keen to tie him down for even longer.
However, Hatate has rejected the offer at the moment and Celtic will have to come back with a new offer.
The Daily Record have some more positive news for Celtic, suggesting that Hatate and the Bhoys are hopeful of sorting out a new deal.
Celtic remain in talks with Hatate’s representatives to try and thrash out a new deal, but striking that agreement in the coming days seems unlikely.
The Bhoys were hoping to sort out a new deal ahead of the transfer deadline, just to rule out a potential move away.
Tottenham Hotspur rumours linger over Reo Hatate
We can’t imagine that Hatate will actually be on the move in the coming days but there have been links to Tottenham.
The Daily Mail reported in June that Tottenham had been monitoring Hatate for a potential move to North London.
This was always going to happen as soon as Ange Postecoglou left Celtic to become Tottenham boss.
Postecoglou brought Hatate to Celtic with his knowledge of the Japanese market and the move proved to be a masterstroke.
That report did highlight concerns over whether Hatate would receive a work permit to play in England though, given his lack of Japan appearances.
The work permit rules have been relaxed though, allowing Premier League clubs to sign a limited number of players who don’t meet the criteria.
That leaves the door open for Tottenham to move for Hatate but Spurs are pretty well-stocked in midfield right now.
Yves Bissouma, Pape Matar Sarr and James Maddison excelled against Manchester United whilst Oliver Skipp and Giovani Lo Celso are still at the club.
Pierre-Emile Højbjerg and Tanguy Ndombele could move on but Rodrigo Bentancur will be back at some point this season.
It would take multiple Spurs midfield exits for Hatate to become a top target and we just can’t see that happening with just over a week of the window to go.
Hatate will surely stay beyond the end of the transfer window and Celtic will hope that leads to a new contract and an end to the Spurs rumours.
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