Celtic Linked With Another Striker as Transfer Plans Take Shape

Celtic have had an extremely promising first few days of the 2025 summer transfer window, with finalised deals for Kieran Tierney and Ross Doohan, as well as a nearing official deal with Benjamin Nygren. There has been a clear intent to bring youth to the club in terms of the players they have an interest in, but so far, the Swede is the only addition of theirs who is under 27 years old.

Outside those three, the large majority of their interest has fallen in the 21-25 age range, with a few exceptions along the way having been reported.

One more player has recently been added to that former group, however, and it is another J1 League talent after the already reported interest in Hayato Inamura.

This time, however, it will not be at centre-back in which their intrigue is shown, but instead, a position of need on the other end of the pitch, that being striker. While Callum Osmand has been reported to have been seen at the Hoops' training facility recently, that deal has not yet been closed. And even if it is, he might not be someone ready to come in and make an impact on this Celtic team immediately.

Which J1 League Player is Celtic Targeting at the Striker Position?

According to various reports, Celtic is looking to add Shin Yamada from Kawasaki Frontale of the J1 League. The Daily Record was one of the first to note this reported interest, and writer Graeme Young had the following to say regarding this potential move:

"Celtic are reportedly keen on Kawasaki Frontale frontman Shin Yamada as they are in the mix to land a Japanese transfer double."

"Parkhead scouts have watched Yamada up close and personal and remain locked in talks over a deal to bring versatile Albirex Niigata defender Hayato Inamura to Glasgow."

Yamada is a very intriguing prospect for the Hoops to take a look at, as the 25-year-old scored 19 goals and had three assists in his 2023-2024 campaign. Unfortunately, the ongoing season has not been as kind to him, where he has only picked up two goals and one assist in 1,007 minutes.

His scoring has primarily come from the penalty box in previous seasons, including this left-footed strike in the 101st minute to complete a draw against Albirex Niigata, which can be seen near the end of the game highlights.

Hopefully, Celtic can finalise a deal with both J1 League talents, as they would both bring quite a bit to the table, and would be fun to watch develop in a new system.