Celtic midfielder, Reo Hatate, has admitted that there are three leagues he wants to play in when he was asked where he saw his future in the game.

The Japan international was brought to the club by Ange Postecoglou as part of a triple signing back in December 2021 when Celtic also brought in Daizen Maeda and Yosuke Ideguchi.

Hatate made an instant impact at the club after making his debut in a 2-0 win over Hibs. But it was against Hearts and Rangers that the Japanese announced his arrival in Scotland.

With an incredible goal in the 2-1 Tynecastle win, Hatate followed that up with a Man of the Match performance in the table-topping 3-0 win over Rangers after scoring two and creating one in one of the biggest derbies in recent times.

Hatate shares future ambitions after Celtic

However, now in his fourth season at the club, Hatate has shared where he can see himself playing in the future as he admits there are three leagues he is ‘personally interested in’ after being asked what his goals are for the future.

Hatate said [Sportiva], “There are still many higher leagues [in Europe], so if I can challenge for those leagues, I want to do so. Unless I aim for that, there is no point in continuing as an athlete, so I want to keep aiming high.

“I would like to play in the Premier League, as well as in Spain and Italy, which I am personally interested in.

“For the Japanese national team, the final Asian qualifiers start in September, so I would like to gain experience there again.

I felt a strong sense of pride in playing for Japan at the Asian Cup, so I would like to become a player who can stand on such a stage more.”

Once rumoured to be of interest to Spurs, there is no doubt Hatate could hold his own in England’s top tier.

The 26-year-old has proven that he can mix it with Europe’s big boys after impressive performances in the Champions League with Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic.

However, injury hampered his appearances in the competition last season after being taken off in the 2-2 Parkhead draw with Atletico Madrid.

With over four years left on his current deal, the Celtic fans won’t need to worry about losing their star midfielder any time soon unless, of course, a bid comes in this summer that the club simply cannot turn down.