Daizen Maeda has made his position clear. The Celtic forward has said he wants a Premier League move this summer, and he is in the final year of his contract. He also made it plain that he does not care which club takes him, which is the kind of quote that tends to get attention in England and beyond.

Maeda's public push for England

"I've always wanted to play in the Premier League ever since I went to Celtic, so I think this year might be my chance," Maeda told dailyrecord.co.uk. He added: "My strongest desire is to play in the Premier League for at least a year. I haven't really thought about what comes after that."

The bluntest line was probably the easiest to read. "For me, it's simply that I want to play in the Premier League, and I don't care which team it is, I just want to play here." That makes this feel less like classic transfer noise and more like a player putting a destination on the record before the window really gets going.

The case for interest is obvious enough. Maeda scored 33 goals for Celtic in the 2024/25 season, and he still delivered 17 goals in his most recent season. He also made three appearances for Japan at the 2026 World Cup, playing 208 minutes and finishing with a 6.64 rating.

O'Neill's warning signs

Martin O'Neill is not talking like a manager expecting a simple resolution. "I think there's some resignation in that aspect," he said. "It isn't one of those where he's got a year left to run and we want to try and make something of it in the sense of getting money. It's not that at all."

O'Neill would plainly prefer the forward to stay. "Personally speaking, I would love it if he just let his contract run through. And played for the last year. Honestly, it would be super," he said.

There is still no verified transfer outcome here, and no one should pretend there is. What is clear is that Maeda has publicly asked for a Premier League move, O'Neill sounds increasingly resigned, and Celtic are now waiting to see whether interest from clubs such as Fulham, Everton, Nottingham Forest and Brentford turns into bids. Maeda has given the market a clear message, and Celtic now have to deal with it.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →