The Japan international, who now has 18 months remaining on his contract, informed Celtic as early as February that he wanted to explore his options.
Speaking in September, he said:
“I received an offer. I had been telling the club that I wanted to take the next step, but Celtic hadn’t been able to strengthen their squad properly, so in the end they told me they couldn’t let me go.
“Personally, I had agreed, so I wanted to take on the challenge. The national team also delayed my joining, and I asked Celtic until the last day, but it didn’t happen.”
A deal, including personal terms, was believed to be agreed with an unnamed club, but Celtic refused to sanction the move before the window closed.
Now, with interest in the 28-year-old still strong heading into the new year, sources close to Maeda have “confirmed” he will again look to leave Parkhead when the market reopens in January, RecordSport reports.
Celtic are already aware of the situation, and it’s understood that the club’s recruitment team has begun identifying potential replacements ahead of a busy transfer window.
Maeda has been a key player since arriving from Yokohama F. Marinos in 2022, but his desire for a new challenge could now see his time in Glasgow come to an end.
With Celtic also facing potential absences during the AFCON period and several injury concerns in attack, Maeda’s departure would present another major challenge for the club heading into the second half of the season.
It will be hard to replace a player like Maeda.
