Latest news with #DaizenMaeda
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Rodgers insists Celtic's transfer business is far from finished... but there's no word on a new deal for Daizen
Brendan Rodgers last night insisted Celtic still have 'a lot of work to do' in the transfer market — as he revealed he is not aware of any movement on a new deal for Daizen Maeda. The Parkhead boss saw his side hammer Newcastle United yesterday through an Arne Engels penalty and efforts from Johnny Kenny, Yang Hyun-jun and Liam Scales. New Japanese striker Shin Yamada, the club's sixth top-team signing of pre-season, was also paraded pre-match, but Rodgers is insistent that he needs more goals in his side and needs his team to be strengthened all across the front line before the end of next month. With Maeda now entering the last two years of his current contract, there have been rumours of a breakthrough on a new deal after a period of limbo amid interest in his services from elsewhere, but nothing concrete as yet. Celtic are on the trail of Royal Antwerp attacker Michel-Ange Balikwisha as well as being linked with Louis Munteanu of Romanian outfit Cluj — and Rodgers is clear on the fact plenty has to be addressed in terms of bolstering the squad in the wake of selling Kyogo Furuhashi to Rennes for £10million in January and hauling in £17m from Como for Nicolas Kuhn earlier in the month. 'We've still got a lot of work to do, but the guys that are training and working with us are doing so well,' he said. 'You saw that today. 'I would expect us, by the end of the window, to have brought in players in certain areas of the pitch that we need to go through a really long season. 'I think it's about bringing goals to the squad. When you've just scored four goals, that seems to be OK, but we lost an important player in January in Kyogo and we've lost Nicolas Kuhn, a lot of goals again. Even Matt O'Riley last summer. 'Even though we scored a lot of goals last season, we still want more, and our ambition is to have more, so I think, all across the front areas, we have to be active in order to give us that depth.' Asked if there had been any progress on negotiations with Maeda and his advisors, Rodgers replied: 'Not that I'm aware of. But he's a professional and his focus is very much on here.' Despite looking for added striking power, Rodgers has stated that new boy Yamada will bring more pace to the team than buzzbomb Maeda. 'His profile suits how we play,' he said. 'He's one of the quickest players from the Japanese league. He's even quicker than Daizen and Kyogo in terms of statistics, and that's how we play, with that speed in the top line. I'm really looking forward to seeing what he can bring.' Rodgers was also delighted to see Kieran Tierney, who set up Scales for his goal with an excellent cross, receive a thunderous reception when coming on in the second half. 'I wanted him to get a specific welcome back, because, at his age, he could easily be playing at the top end of the (English) Premier League,' he said. 'To get a player of that level is amazing for us.'
Scottish Sun
3 days ago
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers gives update on Daizen Maeda contract talks after admitting star will be attracting interest
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) BRENDAN RODGERS insists Daizen Maeda is only focused on Celtic after responding to questions about the attacker's future. The electric Japanese frontman still has two years left on his current Celtic deal but interest in him is believed to be high following his sensational campaign last season. Sign up for the Celtic newsletter Sign up 2 Daizen Maeda was Celtic's star man last season Credit: Kenny Ramsay 2 Brendan Rodgers has given an update on the forward's future Credit: Kenny Ramsay Maeda, 27, scooped all of the Player of the Year awards after scoring 33 goals and providing 12 assists in all competitions last term. SunSport understands the Scottish champions are looking to tie their star man down on an improved deal to fend off interest, with Premier League clubs and teams in Europe keeping tabs. But Celts boss Rodgers admits there hasn't been any progress made in negotiations between the club and the player's representatives. He's confident, though, that the ongoing situation won't impact the forward's season - just like how he won't allow his own contract limbo to affect the upcoming campaign. Asked if the club were any closer to reaching an agreement with the 27-year-old, Rodgers said: "Not that I'm aware of. "I don't think there have been any developments on that, but he's a professional and his focus is very much on here." Maeda grabbed an assist for team-mate Yang Hyun-Jun in the 4-0 rout over Premier League big guns Newcastle United at Parkhead. But he couldn't get his own name on the score-sheet this time. Maeda scored big goals in the Champions League last season, though, against Slovan Bratislava, Borussia Dortmund, Club Brugge and Bayern Munich. And Rodgers previously confessed that he expects interest in the forward following his exploits on Europe's biggest stage. Celtic fans demand 'build him a statue' after Daizen Maeda trolls Rangers during four-in-a-row title party Speaking earlier this year, he said: "I would think Daizen would be getting interest. "If you're doing it at a Champions League level, you're showing you can do it on that stage. "If you're scoring goals like he has, working as hard as he does, then of course that will always bring attention. "Daizen is a great symbol for our team and the collective, he brings the highest level of intensity we want. "He is deserving of everything he's getting so far, and he's developing as a football player." Have YOU got a point for Kris Boyd? Kris Boyd and Roger Hannah chew over the big talking points each week SOMETHING you've just got to get off your chest from the weekend action? A burning Scottish football talking point you can't wait to bring up with Kris Boyd and Roger Hannah? SunSport's GoBallistic show wants to hear from you! So why not help set the Scottish football agenda for the week ahead! Have your say on the game's big topics by emailing us on: GoBallistic@ It's YOUR turn to Go Ballistic! Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Rangers rebuff midfielder offer, Brentford interest in Celtic star
Rangers kick out midfielder offer from Turkey as Premier League side are linked with Celtic star and St Mirren line up Irish defender from English League Two. Rangers have rejected Besiktas' initial offer of £6.5m for midfielder Mohamed Diomande, with negotiations "ongoing". (Aspor - in Turkish) Brentford are interested in Celtic forward Daizen Maeda, 27, given Yoane Wissa has been linked with Newcastle United and Tottenham. (Teamtalk) Cluj owner Nelutu Varga claims an unnamed French club is most serious about signing Romania forward Louis Munteanu amid links to Celtic. (Fanatik - in Romanian) Free agent Luuk de Jong, the 34-year-old forward who has been linked with Rangers, is no longer listed as PSV Eindhoven's number nine. (Daily Record) Swindon Town defender Tunmise Sobowale, 26, is on the verge of completing a move to St Mirren. (Swindon Advertiser) Dundee have lost out on Scottish FA funding for a proposed new training centre. (Sun) Meanwhile, Dundee's interest in AP Brera Strumica midfielder Martin Gjorgievski, 20, has cooled. (Courier - subscription required) Blackburn Rovers have dropped their £750,000 move for Hibernian defender Lewis Miller, with the Australia international facing two months out with an injury. (Alan Nixon on X) Midtjylland have suffered an injury blow before their Europa League qualifying tie against Hibernian, with Ousmane Diao, 21, ruled out of both legs with a foot problem. (Edinburgh Evening News - subscription required) According to reports in Italy, Scottish midfielder Liam Henderson is wanted by Sassuolo, who are returning to Serie A after one season in the second tier. (Sun) Galatasaray make Ederson offer - Saturday's gossip 'Cluj reject £6.9m Celtic bid for Munteanu' - gossip
BBC News
4 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Brentford interest in Maeda
Brentford are interested in Celtic forward Daizen Maeda, 27, given Yoane Wissa has been linked with Newcastle United and Tottenham. (Teamtalk), externalCluj owner Nelutu Varga claims an unnamed French club is most serious about signing Romania forward Louis Munteanu amid links to Celtic. (Fanatik, external - in Romanian)
Daily Record
5 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
Daizen Maeda in transfer hint amid Brentford swirl as Celtic face £6m price drop with three deals required
The Hoops' hero is attracting interest from across Europe this summer Brentford are reportedly among the clubs chasing Daizen Maeda this summer - but the striker has hinted his focus is on Celtic. The 27-year-old was the standout performer for the Scottish Premiership champions last season netting 33 goals as Brendan Rodgers' claimed a domestic double. That has seen the likes of Tottenham, Fenerbahce and West Ham touted with a move for the forward - and reports in Japan suggest The Bees' have joined the race. Reports in Turkey stating Jose Mourinho's men were told stump up £21million for the star by Celtic - and that valuation is unlikely to have moved since. But Maeda has already hinted this summer that he is in no rush to leave - and he has now talked up his Parkhead teammates in the latest clue he is focussed on life in Glasgow's east end. The forward told KICK OFF! KANSAI: "There is one year left until the North-Central America World Cup: I want to make connections with Japanese national team players special. "Like at Celtic, there were many scenes where I thought my teammate was coming but my timing with the passer was in sync. After three and a half years, my teammates understand me." In terms of incoming players, Red Star Belgrade defender Veljko Milosavljevic is also said to be on the agenda - with Mozzart Sport claiming that the Serbian side are ready to drop their asking price. It was claimed earlier this summer that Celtic representatives "offered" £5.1million for the 17-year-old, which was rejected. It is now stated that while Red Star hope to receive €10million (£8.6million) for the player they could sell for €7million (£6million) with interest from earlier in the window cooling. And while a new centre-back appears to be on the agenda, Gordon Strachan insists that a winger, striker and another midfielder are required by Rodgers this summer. He told OLBG: 'Celtic have had wide attackers rather than wingers. People can score goals, get in the box, make goals, rather than just a winger who can cross the ball and things like that. So I think that's where they'll be going. 'Do they need another striker? Yes I think they do. They'll be looking at that as well. They'll be looking at a midfield player similar to Reo Hatate who can eliminate people in midfield. 'In the modern game, because the defenders are good, when people get back into zonal areas or go man for man, the fact is that you need somebody to eliminate people. 'Hatate could do that and so could Matt O'Riley. Matt O'Riley has been gone a year but they still need somebody who can do that as well.' The comments come with the Hoops' on the lookout for a successor to Nicolas Kuhn - who has admitted he would love to play against his former club Celtic next week and introduce himself to Como in style. The German winger completed a £17million move to the big-spending Serie A side last week and will be an important part of Cesc Fabregas' team. One of his first matches could even be against the former club in pre-season as the Parkhead side prepare to jet into Italy for the Como Cup tournament. Celtic face Ajax and Como entertain Al Ahli and there's a chance Kuhn could face his old teammates in either the final or the third and fourth place play-off. And he would relish coming up against his former colleagues, having also played for Ajax too. He said: "I'll definitely play against one of my former teams because we will play either Celtic or Ajax. "If we could play against Celtic, I would be really excited to face all my teammates from last season. "I can't wait to play in the tournament. My beginnings at Como have gone really well. I like the Italian atmosphere and the team is fantastic, everyone is helping me settle in and I'm really happy to be here. "The training centre is fantastic, the quality is high, and so far everything has been perfect. I think we have a lot of very good players in the squad." Tune in to Hotline Live every Sunday to Thursday and have your say on the biggest issues in Scottish football and listen to Record Sport's newest podcast, Game On, every Friday for your sporting fix, all in bitesize chunks.
