What Reo Hatate wants in Celtic star's own words as 'ambition' doesn't marry with Saudi mega money

Ambitious Reo Hatate wants to play in one of the top five leagues in the world during his career.

His words, not the words of anyone else and yet the Japanese star is the latest name to be linked with a move to the ever-lucrative Saudi Arabia Pro-League with Al Ittihad. The Celtic star's standout season in Glasgow last year means raging debate who is the best player in Scotland has always at least included his name. Hatate arrived like a bolt from the blue under Ange Postecoglou in January 2022, and barely coming down from the high of a Treble some sixteen months later, the 25-year-old has his future squarely in his crosshairs.

But Hatate knows the lure of the Champions League and the exposure it can bring top Hoops star. And he remains keen to remain in Glasgow until a dream move materialises - the same rules which all Celtic's best players have followed in recent times. He has watched as Josip Juranovic's form earned him a Bundesliga cushy number, he will have been told stories of Kieran Tierney, Moussa Dembele and Odsonne Edouard who all flourished on European football's grandest stage and were subsequently pinched by top teams.

Those same teams could be keen on taking the enigmatic midfielder to newer heights, not least his former mentor he affectionately calls 'Mr Ange' at Tottenham Hotspur. And what of the Premier League's best launching pad in Brighton? A move to the Amex and solid form while on the south coast now seems to be a guarantee of a transfer to the top five shortly after. Ask Alexis Mac Allister and Leandro Trossard what that means.

For the former Kawasaki Frontale man, Saudi feels an ill-fit. The wages are exorbitant, of course, and the exposure is now gaining traction, but it has served in recent