Burnley beat their rivals Blackburn Rovers to the signing of Reo Hatate from Celtic, it is being claimed.
The midfielder, 28, completed his £6.5million move to the English Championship last night ahead of the deadline down south, the fee exclusively revealed by The Celtic Way today.
After 191 Celtic appearances across his four years at the club, scoring 33 goals and providing 31 assists - the Japanese star has signed a four-year deal with the EFL side as he begins his next chapter.
It is now being reported that Blackburn were trying to sign him before being gazumped by their rivals.
Hatate was actually travelling south to complete a medical and join Rovers before the Clarets hijacked the deal, reports talkSPORT.
Read more
The fee Celtic received for Reo Hatate to Burnley transfer Celtic transfer state of play, squad depth & UEFA rules ahead of busy 36 hours
An agreement was reportedly in place for him to move to Ewood Park on loan, before the option of a permanent move to Turf Moorf came up and appealed to him more.
The two clubs are only 15 miles apart, making the change of plan a simple one logistically as he headed south.
"This is a great move for me," Hatate said after joining Burnley. "It's my first time playing in England and it's a fantastic club to be joining.
"I'm hoping to bring my experience and knowledge to the dressing room and help the team on the pitch as much as possible to achieve our aim."
Celtic have today signed Sam Johnstone and Shim Mheuka on loan deals from Wolves and Chelsea respectively, with midfielder Joel van den Berg expected to follow permanently from PSV.
Talks are ongoing regarding the purchase of Torino midfielder Gvidas Gineitis, with versatile defender Jordan Lotomba expected to complete a move from Feyenoord. Landon Emenalo could still join on loan from Chelsea as he recovers from an injury issue.
