Daizen Maeda is open to playing for any team in the English Premier League as he once again stated his desire to move there.
Speaking from Celtic's training base in Portugal, Martin O'Neill admitted he was resigned to the forward leaving the club, but implored him to consider playing out the last year of his contract at the club before then moving on at that point.
However, the 28-year-old appears to have his heart set on heading to England. After quotes to that effect surfaced at the weekend, he has reiterated his desire in another interview in his homeland.
Speaking to Japanese YouTube channel PIVOT, he said: "I've always wanted to play in the Premier League ever since I went to Celtic, so I think this year might be my chance.
"My strongest desire is to play in the Premier League for at least a year. I haven't really thought about what comes after that."
On why that league in particular appeals so much, he added: "I think it's the best league, and I'm confident I can do it there, so that's why I want to take on the challenge.
"There are certain strengths to being Japanese, and I believe that no matter which team I join, there will always be many who want me. I want to showcase those strengths of being Japanese.
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"It's really not decided yet. It's about negotiations between Celtic and the other party... Until that's finalised, I still have one year left on my contract with Celtic.
"For me, it's simply that I want to play in the Premier League, and I don't care which team it is, I just want to play here. So, no matter which team it is, what I have to do won't change. I think that's the only thing that matters when it comes to fighting."
Maeda was on the verge of moving to Wolfsburg last year before the move collapsed, and that seemed to contribute to a slow start to last season.
Reflecting on that, he added: "Last year, I scored around 33 goals for Celtic, and I thought that was definitely the right time to transfer, but I couldn't and ended up staying at Celtic for another year.
"I was a bit down about it at the time, but in the end, we were able to win the league title and the cup.
"It was quite difficult, but I was in a situation where I had to do it, so I thought that in order to move on to the next step, I had to change my mindset and perform well, otherwise I wouldn't be able to play in the Premier League or anywhere like that.
"It took time, but I think I was able to pick up my form in the end.
I don't know which team I'll be on next season, but I think I'll just have to do my best with the team I'm with now."
