Celtic's big offer shows undervalued star is now top dog at Parkhead - but how much is he worth?

Matt O'Riley was the golden boy who had scouts flocking to Celtic Park leading ultimately to his club record £26million transfer to Brighton last summer while Kyogo Furuhashi was regarded as the star attraction in attack with a goalscoring record that led to strong links with Manchester City before eventually departing for Rennes in a £10m move in January.

More recently, Nicolas Kuhn has been hailed as Celtic's main man after a blistering start to the season that saw the winger touted for this season’s Player of the Year award while defender Cameron Carter-Vickers has also been linked with Premier League clubs.

Maeda has not had the same fanfare or transfer speculation surrounding him over his time in Scotland. However, it has become apparent this season that he is not only the shining light of this Celtic side, but the best player in the country full stop. A point not lost on manager Brendan Rodgers, who recently labelled Maeda as the "symbol" of his side. The days of Maeda being undervalued are over.

The Japanese international has always been an important figure for Celtic but he has elevated his performances to a point where he is now the top dog at Parkhead. Ange Postecoglou kickstarted his journey and further improvements have been made under the tutelage of Rodgers, who has added technical layers to Maeda's game and turned him into a more clinical finisher.

That is why reports of Celtic preparing to offer the 27-year-old a bumper new contract to extend his stay beyond 2027, when his current deal expires, comes as no surprise. It is simply a no-brainer to attempt to tie Maeda down on improved terms ahead of the summer transfer window, where interest in the player is likely.

His output in the final third will attract suitors in itself, 28 goals and nine assists with still a quarter of the season to go is a tremendous return when considering most of his time has been spent on the wing. His goal record since being moved into a central striking role is even better with 13 scored in seven-and-a-half matches.

But beyond those statistics, Maeda's relentless running, pressing, ball-winning and overall professionalism stand out from the crowd. Quite possibly the best in the world in those metrics, according to Rodgers back in September. His performances in the Champions League this season, including the play-off round defeat to Bayern Munich, where he terrorised the Germans' defence, only added weight to his manager's claims. He shows up for the big games as his Old Firm record will testify.

While keeping him at Celtic for the longer term will no doubt be a factor in the new contract offer, increasing his transfer value ahead of the summer window will likely also be part of the club's thinking with an extra few £m added for additional years on his deal.

Celtic's recruitment model - buying players with potential and selling them for large profit - ensures that any offer that matches their valuation of Maeda will almost certainly result in the club cashing in this summer and reinvesting in his replacement.

But how much is he worth? £10m? £15m? £20m? Could he even break the transfer record set by O'Riley last year? Perhaps not given his age, but Maeda is at the peak of his powers and will command a sizeable transfer fee far beyond the £1.5m paid to Yokohama F Marinos back in January 2021.

There is an argument that Maeda lacks the technical ability to play in one of Europe's top five leagues. That may have been true when he first arrived from the J-League three years ago, but he now looks every inch a player who could thrive in the Premier League in England.

Maeda seems happy and settled with his family in Glasgow. Unlike his compatriot Kyogo - who had been agitating for a move - Maeda appears in no hurry to leave Celtic Park. Speaking to Tokyo Sports, while on international duty with Japan this week, he was asked about the prospect of joining a top five league in the summer. His response was: "I don't think about whether I can't play for the team I go to or not. I just fight for the team I am with and that's all I want to do. I think it would be good if I can do that."

Whether that translates into the player signing on for a longer stay at Celtic or becoming the latest big profit departure remains to be seen.