How Celtic can upgrade on Reo Hatate in cut-price move for £12m star

The Celtic player who is dominating the headlines at the moment is central midfielder Arne Engels, amid interest in his services from teams down south.

West Ham United, who are now in the Championship, have already agreed personal terms with the Belgium international, who is valued at £25m by the Scottish Premiership champions.

Engels, however, may not be the only central midfielder who departs Parkhead before the summer transfer window slams shut at the start of next month.

Reo Hatate told the club and Martin O’Neill earlier this summer that he would be open to leaving if a suitable offer arrives at the door, and it remains to be seen whether or not he will still be in Glasgow after the deadline passes.

Why Reo Hatate is a weak link for Celtic in Europe

The Scottish giants should not be opposed to cashing in on the Japan international because his exit could help them to improve their midfield for European competitions this season.

Celtic have not reached the last 16 of a European competition since 2013 and Hatate’s performances in the Europa League last term suggest that he is unlikely to help them progress on the continent.

The Japanese midfielder started six of his nine appearances in the competition and ranked incredibly lowly among his positional peers in a host of defensive and physical metrics.

Hatate, who was sent off against Bologna in the Europa League, does not have the physicality or the mobility to offer the level of quality that the Hoops need from their midfielders off the ball in Europe.

The 28-year-old midfielder also lost 58% of his ground duels and 67% of his aerial battles in the Premiership in the 2025/26 campaign, ending the season as a substitute under O’Neill.

Celtic pursuing deal for Reo Hatate upgrade

Now, the club are looking at a move for a player who would arrive as the ideal upgrade on Hatate both domestically and on the European stage.

Football Insider reports that Celtic have identified Torino central midfielder Gvidas Gineitis as one of their top targets for the midfield position in the summer transfer window.

The report claims that the Hoops are hoping to negotiate a cut-price deal for the Lithuania international, who is currently valued at a price of £12m by the Serie A team.

It adds that the club are currently preparing a new offer for the star, as reported elsewhere this week, and it remains to be seen how much they are willing to spend to bring him to Parkhead.

O’Neill could safely sanction a sale for Hatate if the club are able to strike a deal with Torino to sign Gineitis, as he would arrive as the perfect upgrade on the Japan international.

Whilst the current Celtic midfielder sometimes lets the team down with his lack of physicality, the Lithuanian star excels defensively and physically in the middle of the park.

The 22-year-old powerhouse ranked well above average among his fellow central midfielders in the Serie A last season in a host of defensive and physical metrics, showing that he can be a standout performer off the ball.

These statistics suggest that Gineitis would offer significantly more to the team defensively than Hatate, whose lack of physicality was exposed in Europe, and could, therefore, bolster the team’s efforts on the European stage.

The Lithuania international is not just a midfield destroyer who wins duels and makes tackles and interceptions, though, as he also has the quality to make an impact at the top end of the pitch.

Torino’s star midfielder has scored five goals and provided three assists in 32 caps for his country, including three goals and one assist in their most recent World Cup qualifying campaign.

The £12m-rated star, who has also created nine ‘big chances’ in the last two Serie A seasons combined, has the potential to offer attacking quality to go along with his obvious defensive strengths.

At the age of 22, Gineitis would also arrive at Parkhead with plenty of time left ahead of him to develop and improve as a player, whilst Hatate should be in the peak years of his career at 28.

Therefore, the Hoops should be pushing to get this deal done as quickly as possible because it could give O’Neill a better chance of being successful in Europe by signing a physical midfielder as an upgrade on Hatate.