Celtic are closing in on a deal for Kawakasi Frontale left-back Reo Hatate, according to Stephen McGowan for The Scottish Daily Mail (via 67 Hail Hail). 

The lowdown

The Japanese defender is valued at £720,000 by Transfermarkt, but his contract is up at the end of January, so Celtic appear to be lining up a free transfer.

The 24-year-old has made 36 appearances this season, scoring six goals and providing three assists. He's notably versatile, having operated as a central midfielder, attacking midfielder, left winger and right winger in addition to his preferred position.

Hatate was part of the Japan squad which competed at the summer's Tokyo Olympics, helping them to achieve a fourth-place finish.

The latest

McGowan wrote in Saturday's edition of The Scottish Daily Mail (via 67 Hail Hail) that a deal between Celtic and Hatate is at an advanced stage.

The 24-year-old looks poised to become the Hoops' first January 2022 addition and apparently he has already told his team-mates that he's bound for Celtic Park.

The verdict

Clearly, Ange Postecoglou and Celtic are trying to build upon their successful swoop for another J-League star in the form of Kyogo Furuhashi - coming into this weekend, the 26-year-old is the joint-top scorer in the Premiership with seven goals.

Hatate may not be their only January addition from The Land of the Rising Sun either, with Yokohama F Marinos attacker Daizen Maeda also heavily linked with a switch to Parkhead.

If the Japan defender does arrive, you'd imagine that he'd compete with Greg Taylor and Boli Bolingoli for starting opportunities, boosting the depth of the squad in a position where Celtic have had their issues this season.

In other news, Kieran Devlin has issued a worrying update on one Celtic player