Daizen Maeda's performances towards the end of the 25/26 season were Henrik Larsson-esque. Bicycle kicks, chips over the goalkeeper, instinctive finishes, he did it all while inspiring Celtic to a league and cup double.

It could very well have been his last act in a Celtic jersey. The expectation is that Maeda will be on his way out this summer.

Maeda, currently away at the World Cup with Japan, was close to leaving last summer but a move to the Bundesliga is believed to have been blocked at the time. Now, having spent four-and-a-half years at Parkhead and played such a vital role in the double, if the forward wants to leave, the club should not stand in his way.

Obviously, that would weaken Celtic up top. The Hoops would need to bring in some forwards. And it looks like another Japanese striker is on their radar.

According to an exclusive report from Martin Crawford of 67 Hail Hail, Celtic are keeping a close eye on Kawasaki Frontale striker Soma Kanda.

Kanda is 20 years of age and currently plays for Kawasaki Frontale in the J-League. Celtic have done quite a bit of business with the club in the past.

In early 2022, they signed Reo Hatate from there. He will go down as one of the club's best signings of the decade but has been out of the team in recent times and is expected to leave this summer as well.

Last summer, Celtic also signed Shin Yamada from Kawasaki Frontale. Incidentally, that was who Kanda replaced for a while.

Things did not turn out that great for Kamada. And to be honest, Kanda might have a tough time at Parkhead as well, if he does make the move now.

Still just 20 years of age, going to a completely different culture and adapting might not be that easy.

It is also worth mentioning that Kanda does not have a phenomenal goalscoring record by any stretch of the imagination.

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He has scored just two goals in 22 games for Kawasaki Frontale so far. At the youth levels for Japan, he has done better, scoring four times in five appearances for the U19 side and six times in 16 games for the U20 team.

Of course, it would be unfair to judge a striker on his goal rate this early in his career, but then again, Celtic will have to know the player they are signing.

One cannot expect Kanda to come in and immediately make an impact. But a lot of the time, Celtic end up letting such players go after just one or two seasons.

For someone like Kanda, that has to be a long-term pathway to success. Otherwise, it will go down as another move that was never bound to work out.

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