Kawasaki Frontale want “much more” than Celtic are currently prepared to offer for utility man Reo Hatate, according to the Japan Times.

The newspaper reports that the Hoops are interested in three Japanese players, including Hatate, Daizen Maeda and Yosuke Ideguchi.

However, a deal for Hatate has hit some problems. The 24-year-old is out of contract at the end of January but, if Celtic want him at the start of next month, they will need to pay Frontale some sort of fee.

It seems that the two sides are quite far apart in terms of an agreement and, while there is still the best part of a month before the transfer window opens, the early signs suggest that Hatate may only be available at the start of February when he can join on a free.

In terms of Maeda, other reports in Japan indicate the striker will join on an initial loan deal before a £1.5m permanent deal next summer, while Yokohama F. Marinos are also said to be open to discussing Ideguchi’s transfer.