Chris Sutton has warned Celtic not to make the same transfer mistake for the second window running and let go of a 'top striker'.
Indeed, given the nature of his recent form, Daizen Maeda will undoubtedly be garnering attention ahead of the summer.
The attacker brought his seasonal goal tally to 30 last weekend following a brace in his side's 3-0 win over Heart of Midlothian.
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Maeda's scoring rate has taken a considerable upturn since the mid-season departure of his fellow countryman, Kyogo Furuhashi.
The striker joined Rennes in January, and Sutton has warned Celtic not to part ways with Maeda as easily as they did with Furuhashi.
He said [Record]: "Letting Maeda go now – when he has hit top form – would be ridiculous. Celtic have already let one top striker go in Kyogo – which was a mistake from all parties, as far as I am concerned.
"They can’t afford to do it again. Everything might be pretty rosy for Celtic on and off the pitch but this is a huge summer ahead.
"We can’t get too far ahead when the title is not yet in the bag. But, realistically, it’s on the way and the big date in the calendar should already be circled.
"Celtic’s Champions League qualifier is absolutely massive. I’m not saying it could make or break their season, but it’s not far off.
"There would be no point in making all the progress in Europe this season to undo it again a few months later.
"That means going into that play-off as strong as possible. And that means keeping Maeda on the books. Selling him wouldn’t make any sense."
Maeda won the Scottish Premiership's Player of the Month award for the second time in a row during the week. He scored in every league game he played in March, proving a key difference-maker for his side in attack.
