Celtic's forgotten loan midfielder Yosuke Ideguchi is at the centre of a bidding war after Japanese champions Vissel Kobe joined current side Avispa Fukuoka in making offers for him.
The Japanese international midfielder returned to his homeland earlier this year after a frustrating spell in Glasgow.
He suffered an ankle break in one of his first games back in March, but recovered quickly and has been widely praised for his performances in the J-League.
Ideguchi was just named Most Valuable Player as he helped his club win the Japanese League Cup and has caught the attention of champions Vissel Kobe, who have now made their interest in the 27-year-old official, according to reports in Japan.
Kobe needs a replacement for Mitsuki Saito, who has suffered a long-term injury, in midfield and see Ideguchi as a long-term successor for captain and Japanese international Hotaru Yamaguchi, who is now 34.
And they will battle it out with Avispa Fukuoka to land the player, who looks unlikely to have any future in Glasgow.
Ideguchi said this week after winning the award: "I'm happy to be able to win this trophy.
"I hope I can continue to do my best for this club next season too."
His loan contract expires when the new Japanese season starts in February and he still has two-and-a-half years to go of his Hoops deal.
Meanwhile, Brendan Rodgers has confessed that increasing his options up front will be his priority in January after Celtic were linked with a move for Aberdeen striker Bojan Miovski during the transfer window.
Rodgers declined to comment on reports that he was interested in North Macedonian internationalist Miovski, who was the Pittodrie club's joint top scorer last season with 18 goals, and stressed that he expected a lot of speculation about potential targets in the coming weeks.
