Celtic have already secured the Scottish Premiership title for the 2022/23 campaign and work is now reportedly underway to improve the squad to ensure they do not let it slip next term.
Ange Postecoglou is not sitting on his hands with the summer transfer window coming up soon and is said to be eyeing up another potential signing from Japan.
The Daily Record recently claimed that the Hoops boss is considering a potential swoop to sign Albirex Niigata attacking midfielder Ryotaro Ito to bolster his options in the final third.
It is no secret that Celtic have had great success in identifying talent from the Japanese top-flight in recent seasons. Kyogo Furuhashi was announced as the PFA Scotland Player of the Year for his performances in the top-flight this term after scoring 24 goals in 29 league outings.
The likes of Daizen Maeda and Reo Hatate have also been key cogs in Postecoglou's system in Glasgow but Ito could come in as a big upgrade on the former.
How has Ryotaro Ito performed this season?
In the J1 League, the 25-year-old has been in phenomenal form since earning promotion from the second tier in 2022. He has proven himself to be an excellent goalscorer and creator for his team, whilst being deployed in a no.10 or wide position.
Ito has scored seven goals and created five 'big chances', whilst making 3.1 key passes per game, in 13 league appearances in 2023 and averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.56.
This comes after the talented forward produced an eye-catching nine goals and 11 assists in 42 J2 League outings to drag his side to the top-flight of Japanese football, which shows that the gem has been able to regularly contribute in the final third over the last 18 months.
Maeda, meanwhile, has scored eight goals and created five 'big chances', having also provided 0.8 key passes per match – in 33 Premiership clashes this season, which suggests that the winger is not very creative with his passes at the top end of the pitch.
The 25-year-old has also averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.83, which is significantly worse than Ito's score for Niigata this term, and has not blown supporters away week-in-week-out.
In the 2021/22 campaign, the Celtic attacker created 0.8 chances per game and averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.89, which does not suggest that the ace is improving with more experience and game time in Scotland.
Therefore, Ito, who was hailed as "intelligent" by writer Bence Bocsak, could come in as a big upgrade on Maeda if Postecoglou deploys him out wide on the left.
The former Japan U19 international has shown terrific promise in the J1 League and the magician's creative statistics, in particular, indicate that the midfielder would offer far more to the Hoops in the final third as he is able to open up defences for his teammates on a regular basis, whilst they both provide a goal threat.