Celtic closing in on Tomoki Iwata deal as Ange Postecoglou targets another J-League transfer
CELTIC are closing in on another Japanese star in January as international midfielder Tomoki Iwata has been named in Ange Postecoglou's shortlist ahead of next month's window.
The 25-year-old, who has mainly featured in defence but can in midfield, has been capped four times by the national side.
He currently plays for the Celtic boss' former club, Yokohama F. Marinos, after signing from fellow Japanese outfit Oita Trinita last year.
And Iwata has certainly made a good impression at the club so far as he helped guide them to the J1 League title this year.
He was also voted the J-League's Player of the Year last month, becoming only the fourth defender to win the award.
Postecoglou's Japanese recruitment has been a success so far after raiding the league for Kyogo, Reo Hatate, and Daizen Maeda.
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Yosuke Ideguchi hasn't quite hit the heights after struggling with injuries since joining the club and his exit from Parkhead looks increasingly likely.
He arrived with the most international experience, but it hasn't gone to plan for him in Glasgow.
And Iwata could be the man to replace Ideguchi if he does make the Premiership switch next month.
The Aussie boss has also signed Yuki Kobayashi ahead of the January window.
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Iwata would become the sixth player to make the move over from Japan if he does seal a transfer to the Scottish champions in the coming weeks.
The Hoops have also been linked with South Korea striker Cho Gue-sung, who was a star at the World Cup in Qatar and currently plays with Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors.
Postecoglou has made it no secret that he will be targeting the Asian market for new Celtic stars.
But he admitted earlier in the year that they can't all be expected to reach the level of Kyogo.
He said: “That’s not to say they’ll all be at Kyogo’s level. I was super confident about him.
“He has dominated that league for the last three or four years.
“I was surprised he hadn’t left earlier to be honest.
“We just got lucky he had stuck around for a bit.
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“There's definitely more talent there and it’s a market we’re looking at closely."
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