Celtic suffer defeat to Leeds United in transfer chase despite Hoops holding key advantage in race for star

Celtic were reportedly edged out of a transfer chase for another Japanese international this summer.

Ao Tanaka has sealed a switch to Leeds United after showing his talent initially at Kawasaki Frontale and then in Germany with Fortuna Dusseldorf. On transfer deadline day, he penned a four-year deal with Leeds United in the English Championship.

August 30th proved a busy day at Celtic, with Auston Trusty, Arne Engels and Luke McCowan all signed. But there could have been another one brought in over the course of the summer, with Tanaka one star they reportedly targeted.

He made his Leeds United debut in a home win over Hull City prior to joining up with the Japanese national team, where Celtic trio Daizen Maeda, Reo Hatate and Kyogo are regulars. According to The Athletic, the Hoops wanted him, but he opted for Leeds despite Scotland offering him the Champions League football he craved.

It’s stated: “Tanaka has a clear personal target of playing in the Champions League and despite opportunities to join Celtic, who are in this season’s Champions League, Denmark’s Midtjylland (playing in this season’s Europa League) and Como in Italy’s Serie A this summer, Leeds were considered the best next move for his career.”

Dusseldorf sporting director Klaus Allofs has also revealed it wasn’t there intention to cash in on one of their assets. He said: “The targets we set ourselves in sport have been exceeded. We didn’t actually have to sell Tanaka, we had already realised the transfer surplus we had planned.

“But we’re all in the same boat. We cannot say that one hundred percent of the money from sport is used again in sport. Many things have not yet developed the way we would like. So, we can’t put everything into the team.

“The fact is that we all act very carefully and do not take any unpleasant risks. The fact is without the sale of Ao, we would not have been able to fill all positions.”