How Celtic plan to replace Maeda with £2.5m signing

Celtic supporters have already seen a glimpse of what new signing Camilo Duran is capable of after he scored on his unofficial debut for the club.

The Colombian marksman, who recently joined from Qarabag for a fee of £6m, came off the bench to score against Portuguese giants Sporting in a 4-1 friendly defeat earlier this month.

Duran did brilliantly to force the defender into a mistake before slotting past the goalkeeper from close range, and Hoops supporters will be hoping to see plenty more of that when the real action begins in August.

One of the reasons why Celtic need the £6m star to hit the ground running is because it still remains to be seen whether or not Daizen Maeda will still be at the club.

Celtic may need to replace Daizen Maeda

The Japan international scored 14 goals and provided six assists in the Scottish Premiership last season to power Martin O’Neill‘s side to the title, scoring in every match after the split.

Premier League teams took notice of his clutch performances for the Scottish giants last season, with Nottingham Forest, Everton, Brentford, and Fulham all looking at a potential move for the forward.

Maeda only has one year left on his contract at Parkhead and that means that the current window could be the club’s last opportunity to cash in on him, before possibly losing the attacker on a free transfer next year.

Losing the Japanese forward, who can play off the left flank or through the middle as a striker, would be a blow for O’Neill because of his ability to score goals and create chances for his teammates on a regular basis in the Premiership.

Celtic would need to make another addition to their forward line if they sell Maeda, as Duran takes up a spot in the centre-forward position, but they would also be down a player on the left wing if the experienced attacker left to sign for a Premier League team.

Supporters should, therefore, be pleased to learn that the board are eyeing up a player who would arrive with the potential to be the second coming of Maeda in Glasgow.

Journalist Fuad Alakbarov reports that Celtic are pursuing a deal to sign Sabah SK left winger Aaron Malouda in the summer transfer window.The reporter claims that the Hoops are “definitely interested” in the French forward and have made contact with theAzerbaijani side to learn the conditions of a possible deal for him.

Alakbarov, though, reveals that the two teams are yet to enter formal talks over a transfer for the 20-year-old talent, which means that there is still plenty of work to be done on this potential signing.

Malouda, who is valued at £2.5m by Sabah, could arrive as O’Neill’s next version of Maeda because he is a similar type of player in the sense that he can play out wide on either flank or through the middle as a striker.

He predominantly plays on the wing, rather than as a number nine, but is just as capable of playing on the left as he is playing on the right, starting 26 career games on the right and 24 on the left.

As well as needing a player who is versatile and can play across the frontline, Celtic also need a player who can score goals on a regular basis if they need to replace Maeda this summer.

The Japan international is a proven Premiership goalscorer, with 30 goals in the last two seasons combined, and his exit would take away a huge goal threat from the squad.

Malouda’s return of nine goals in 21 league matches for Sabah in the 2025/26 campaign suggests that he has the potential to offer a similar level of goalscoring threat, given that he racked up those goals from a wide position.

The 20-year-old wing wizard also scored ten goals in 33 games for Rennes at U19 level and seven goals in 28 appearances for Lille’s B team before he made the move to Sabah to play first-team football last year, showing that he has always been an impressive scorer.

His form at both youth and senior level suggest that he could score goals on a regular basis for Celtic if he can adapt to Scottish football, which is why he could end up being the second coming of Maeda as a versatile forward who can offer a constant goalscoring threat.