Celtic pushing hard to seal new signing who’s reminiscent of Maeda

New Celtic centre-forward Camilo Duran has made a lightning-fast start to his career with the club after a return of two goals in two pre-season friendlies so far.

The Colombian star, who has been signed from Qarabag for a fee of £6m, scored in friendlies against Sporting and Middlesbrough, and will be hoping to be just as effective when the real action gets underway in the Scottish Premiership.

Martin O’Neill has already lost one of his biggest goal threats from the 2025/26 campaign after Kelechi Iheanacho, who scored nine goals last term, decided to turn down a contract extension to sign for Bursaspor in Turkey.

The Nigeria international may not be the only forward who moves on from Parkhead before the end of the window, though, as Daizen Maeda’s future is up in the air.

Why Daizen Maeda could leave Celtic this summer

Celtic are in an awkward position with the Japan international because his current contract with the Scottish Premiership champions is due to expire at the end of next season.

He is one of five first-team players who are due to become free agents next year, which means that interested clubs could start to speak to him in January 2027 ahead of a move next summer.

A move to the Premier League could be on the cards for the experienced forward, as Nottingham Forest, Fulham, Brentford, and Everton are among the teams considering a move for him.

Celtic are said to be willing to cash in on the 28-year-old forward, if the price is right, and that is why supporters are now facing an anxious wait to see if he remains at Parkhead beyond September’s transfer deadline.

Losing Maeda would, of course, be a big blow for O’Neill and Celtic after he racked up 14 goals and six assists in 36 appearances in the Premiership last season, with only Benjamin Nygren (16) scoring more goals for the club.

Celtic pushing to sign their new Maeda

The Japanese ace does not only bring goals and assists to the table, though, as he is also an electric attacker who constantly presses the opposition to force mistakes and provides an unpredictable force to the team’s attack.

Now, O’Neill and the recruitment team are working on a deal to bring in a player who can replace those qualities, whilst other signings can offer more goals and assists.

The Daily Record reports that Celtic are pushing hard to secure the signing of Real Oviedo forward Haissem Hassan in the summer transfer window.

It claims that they are battling Marseille in the race to sign the Egypt international, and that they believe that they can sign him for less than his £10m release clause.

O’Neill wants to strengthen his attack and has identified the World Cup star as one of the club’s targets, but it is now down to the board to agree a deal with the Spanish side before Marseille do.

Hassan, who typically plays on the right wing, is not a prolific goalscorer who is likely to replace the goals that Maeda scored for Celtic, but he is an electric and rapid attacker who can take over the Japanese star’s contributions in other phases of play.

Their respective running numbers in the 2025/26 campaign show that they are both strong runners who cover plenty of ground and run at impressive speeds, closing down defenders quickly so that they do not have too much time on the ball.

Celtic have benefitted from Maeda’s sensational pressing many times, think back to when he closed down James Tavernier to score against Rangers inside the opening minute in 2024, and Hassan is cut from the same cloth.

The Real Oviedo forward is a speedy forward who can provide that workrate on the right side of the attack, but he does need to work on his output in the final third.

Hassan, who was described as “like a £100m winger” by The Secret Scout during the World Cup, scored zero goals and provided three assists in LaLiga last season, before registering one assist in two games at the World Cup for Egypt.

The 24-year-old forward still has time on his hands to develop as a player and offer more quality in front of goal on a consistent basis, but he already has the physical attributes and work rate to replace what Maeda offers outside of the penalty box.

That is why the Egyptian star could be a fantastic addition to the squad as part of potentially replacing Maeda, should he be sold this summer.