Ambitious Reo Hatate wants to play in one of the top five leagues in the world during his career.
His words, not the words of anyone else and yet the Japanese star is the latest name to be linked with a move to the ever-lucrative Saudi Arabia Pro-League with Al Ittihad. The Celtic star's standout season in Glasgow last year means raging debate who is the best player in Scotland has always at least included his name. Hatate arrived like a bolt from the blue under Ange Postecoglou in January 2022, and barely coming down from the high of a Treble some sixteen months later, the 25-year-old has his future squarely in his crosshairs.
But Hatate knows the lure of the Champions League and the exposure it can bring top Hoops star. And he remains keen to remain in Glasgow until a dream move materialises - the same rules which all Celtic's best players have followed in recent times. He has watched as Josip Juranovic's form earned him a Bundesliga cushy number, he will have been told stories of Kieran Tierney, Moussa Dembele and Odsonne Edouard who all flourished on European football's grandest stage and were subsequently pinched by top teams.
