Celtic have signed three Japanese players “at the peak of their careers” after confirming deals for trio Daizen Maeda, Yosuke Ideguchi and Reo Hatate.
Midfielders Ideguchi, 25, and Hatate, 24, have signed four-and-a-half-year contracts from Gamba Osaka and Kawasaki Frontale respectively.
Forward Maeda, 24, arrives on loan from Yokohama F Marinos, with the move becoming permanent in the summer.
The trio are expected to arrive in Glasgow in the next few days.
“We are really pleased to bring in these guys to Celtic and I think they are players who will excite our fans,” said Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou.
“Clearly I am well aware of their attributes and I think in bringing all three to the club we are bringing even more quality, personality and energy to the squad to work with the players who have done so well for us already this season.
“They are all really at the peak of their careers, ambitious to achieve more success and I am sure at this particular time we will be getting their best years.”
The trio will join compatriot Kyogo Furuhashi at Celtic, with the 26-year-old forward having made a huge impact since arriving from Vissel Kobe in July with eight goals in his first 14 matches.
J-League’s top scorer, former Leeds player & recent Olympian
Daizen Maeda previously played under Postecoglou at Yokohama F. Marinos, having arrived at the club following a spell with Maritimo in Portugal.
In the campaign just finished, the twice-capped forward was top scorer in the J-League with 23 goals – and made the division’s team of the season – as his side finished second and qualified for the Asian Champions League.
Yosuke Ideguchi joined Leeds United in 2018, having broken through with Gamba Osaka, and spent spells on loan with Cultural Leonesa in Spain and Greuther Furth in Germany before returning to his first club.
He has scored twice in his 15 appearances for Japan.
Reo Hatate arrives fresh from retaining the J-League title with Kawasaki Frontale and earning a place in the competition’s best XI alongside Maeda.
Notionally a midfielder, he can play in a number of positions and played in the bronze medal match of last summer’s Olympic Games in his homeland, when Japan lost out on a podium place to Mexico.
‘Postecoglou can get best out of them’ – analysis
Japan-based journalist Dan Orlowitz on BBC Radio Scotland
Postecoglou understands Japanese players and how to get the best out of them. A lot of managers know instinctively they’re good but may not understand how to work with them. Postecoglou does and that has allowed Kyogo to do what he’s done.
It is a step up in terms of physicality, pace, the endurance players need to get through games compared to in Japan. It is a challenge, and one I don’t think every player is capable of succeeding in. But Scotland in particular is attractive because it provides a gateway to the English Premier League.
Signing all three is a massive coup and they’ve been doing a lot of good in terms of promotion in Japan. Having three players of national team calibre will magnify that and, if Celtic can do well in Europe, Japan is their oyster in terms of sponsorships.
