DAIZEN MAEDA has revealed Celtic BLOCKED a transfer move for the Japanese ace on deadline day.
Last season’s 33-goal marksman had already agreed terms with another club and was on the brink of quitting the champions.
However, the deal was scuppered after Brendan Rodgers failed to find a quality replacement for the 27-year-old winger who is under contract until June 2027.
Maeda made the startling admission during an interview with the Japanese media after touching down in North America for his nation’s USA tour.
Ange Postecoglou’s £1million recruit in January 2022 arrived at the training camp a day late and the Japan FA cited “club circumstances” as the reason for his delay.
DERBY DISAPPOINTMENT…Daizen Maeda is foiled as keper Jack Butland boots the ball clear in the scoreless stalemate at Ibrox.
Maeda explained that the hold-up had been caused by ongoing transfer negotiations on Monday evening before the 11pm cut-off.
The wide Bhoy, who has been struggling for form and has scored only one goal in seven games this season, claimed the champions had received an official bid for his services and he had agreed personal terms.
Maeda said: “My joining of the national team was delayed as I had been talking to Celtic until the last day, but it didn’t work out.
“I had received an offer and I had been telling the club that I wanted to take the next step, but Celtic hadn’t been able to make any good reinforcements, so in the end they told me they couldn’t let me leave.”
However, Maeda admitted he will continue to do his best for the Parkhead side and, speaking in a report in the Scottish Sun, continued: “There were some things that I had agreed to personally, so I wanted to take on the challenge.
ON THE BALL…Daizen Maeda races away from the challenging Mo Diamande.
“I’ve decided to stay with Celtic, so I want to work hard as a team.”
Turkish giants Fenerbahce had been linked with Maeda shortly after the conclusion of last term, but they may not have been the club involved after the sacking of Jose Mourinho.
However, several teams from across the border as well as throughout Europe have been keeping tabs on the pacy attacker who scooped multiple Player of the Year awards following his brilliant form in Rodgers’ team, particularly the second half of the campaign as he took over as the main goal threat following the January transfer of his countryman Kyogo Furuhashi.
Maeda added: “I had been talking to the club since before the end of the previous season and I’d always told them I wanted to take the next step.
“But we had league games and we lost in the Champions League qualifiers, so it was difficult.”
Ironically, Maeda was one of the penalty-kick culprits in Kazakhstan when he joined Adam Idah and Luke McCowan in squandering efforts from 12 yards in the spot-kick shoot-out.
Earlier, he had missed an excellent opportunity late in the game when he blazed over the crossbar with just the goalkeeper to beat.
