Celtic could see a £4m bid accepted for the 22-goal star

Celtic manager Martin O’Neill recently revealed that Daizen Maeda has told him he would like to complete a move to the Premier League this summer.

The Japanese international was denied a move to Bundesliga side Wolfsburg last summer when Brendan Rodgers was in charge, but the attacker could finally get his wish to try his luck in Europe’s biggest league this time around.

O’Neill said he will not stand in the way of the striker and now it is up to the club to come in and give him enough money to give him a prize outside of Parkhead.

Losing Maeda will be a blow for the Hoops as he scored in every game since breaking away to win the Scottish Premiership title, finishing the campaign with 14 league goals.

Although Celtic are expected to be looking for a new player to replace Maeda, their city rivals are close to signing Lawrence Shankland.

Celtic have learned the price tag for the Premiership midfielder

The Scot scored 16 goals for Hearts in the 2025/26 Premiership campaign, including one against the Hoops on the final day, and could be a great role model for Rangers.

However, the Premiership champions are poised to sign one of the league’s top goalscorers as their answer to Shankland this summer.

At the beginning of the month it was reported that Celtic is one of the teams that want to sign the player from Motherwell, Tawanda Maswanhise, to strengthen the attack.

Now, according to the Scottish Sun, Motherwell will accept a £4m offer for the 23-year-old amid interest from a number of clubs.

Anderlecht are said to have made an initial offer of £3m in January, which was rejected by the Scottish club, and are keen to renew their pursuit of the Zimbabwean.

It is now up to Celtic to come in ahead of the Belgian giants to accept a £4m offer, as he could be a poor player for next season’s squad.

Why Tawanda Maswanhise will be Celtic’s answer to Lawrence Shankland

If Rangers think that signing Shankland will rob them of the Premiership title, Celtic must prove them wrong by looking for a better striker than him from Scotland.

Maswanhise, despite playing for a team that finished bottom of Hearts, moved to Shankland and would have been a better signing for the Hoops than the Scottish player who will be at Ibrox.

The Motherwell striker scored one more goal than Shankland in the league, but it was his overall performance that was more impressive due to his mobility and pace at the other end of the pitch.

Maswanhise is able to keep running behind to stretch defenders with speed, which is not something that Shankland is blessed with, and his sharp movement is why he also overcomes many mistakes and loses the ball less than the Scottish star.

He’s more like Maeda than Shankland in that way because of his ability to put pressure on defenders with his speed while covering players off the ball and making runs with or without the ball.

The 23-year-old, who has scored 22 goals in all competitions this season, has scored 28 goals in 78 appearances for Motherwell over the past two seasons, showing his quality in front of goal as a defender and striker.

Maswanhise is also seven years younger than Shankland and could be a thorn in Rangers’ side for many years to come, while the Hearts captain may not have many years to do well to help the Gers win the title.

That is why the £4m star would be a smart signing for Celtic and the perfect answer to their rivals Shankland’s deal, as he would be the best addition and help them win the league title again.

Maeda’s departure could be disruptive for the Hoops, given his form at the end of the season, but Maswanhise finished the campaign with three more league goals than the Japanese international and has the ability to play his part in the team.

It is now up to the board to approve a £4m deal for the striker and for them to move quickly enough to prevent Anderlecht from making a deal first.