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Daily Record
Sport
Ben Banks

Celtic transfer state of play on Hatate, Hyun-jun and Holm as hidden Parkhead connection key to Tilio deal

There's a sense stability again and Celtic are now gearing up for what they hope to be another trophy-filled era under Brendan Rodgers.

Their Double-Treble winning boss is back in Glasgow for a second crack at the whip and he has got busy already on refining his inherited squad. Odin Thiago Holm is the first addition and more could be on the way, with a fee agreed to take Marco Tilio away from Melbourne City and into the attacking ranks in Glasgow's east end.

There will be hopes they can keep the squad together too, amid lurking reports that stars like Kyogo, Reo Hatate and Cameron Carter-Vickers are attracting suitors. But who could be coming into the club this summer as the Premiership champions aim to give Rodgers the best chance possible of making a dent in the Champions League? We look at the latest rumours and news.

Marco Tilio of Melbourne City (Getty Images)

Marco Tilio

This looks likely to be done deal number two and the Australian attacker will fight with Jota, Daizen Maeda and co for starts. And they have a man who knows all about him.

Link-ups with the City Group - of which Melbourne City are members - are well known but there's a personal touch to add in for good measure. Former CFG man Joe Dudgeon joined the Hoops as lead first team scout in February this year.

His job title there was Scouting Account Manager at New York City & Melbourne City, a position he acquired in December 2019 and left last September. So he is the Celtic man in the know when it comes to Tilio.

Odin Thiago Holm

This deal is already done but what are Celtic getting when it comes to their Norwegian playmaker? According to Nordic football expert Jonas Giæver, Rodgers could be working with an elite talent.

He told Clyde 1: ""If he's able to reach anything like they have then Celtic will have one of the best players in European football on their hands. He's a player that fits like a glove into any team that is looking to dominate games.

New Celtic signing Odin Thiago Holm (SNS Group)

"He's a tremendous player on the ball, someone who rarely has a bad game. Rodgers has a history of developing young players and Holm's ceiling is incredibly high."

Reo Hatate

Reports on Monday from the middle-east suggested that technician Hatate coild be next on the way to Saudi Arabia's cash-rich top flight. Tottenham have also been linked with the Japanese international in the last week.

But his agent has reportedly shot down the claims and insisted he won't be swapping continents. As quoted by journalist Ahmed Ragab, Hatate's representative said: "Reo is still in Europe. There is no chance of a move to the Saudi League."

Yang Hyun-jun

This one has ramped up in recent days in terms of chatter but looks no further forward to getting down. K-League side Gangwon are adamant their rising attacking star will not be going anywhere as they fight relegation.

That isn't pleasing the player or his represenatives though. Claims of broken club promises have flown, as the 21-year-old's employers are accused of not selling him upon a European offer arriving.

But there could be more than meets the eyes. According to Korean football writer Steve Han, the executive who turned down an offer from MLS side Vancouver offer and made that promise to the Celtic target is no longer there, 'so for Gangwon, it’s easy to play dumb and pretend like they never promised anything.'

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