Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou could well be plotting a raid on his former club Celtic this summer, amid reports that the 57-year-old could make a move for Japanese midfielder, Reo Hatate.

What's the latest on Hatate to Tottenham?

According to 90min, there are said to be fears among those at Parkhead that Postecoglou will return to make an approach for the 25-year-old playmaker, with The Sun already reporting that teammate Kyogo Furuhashi could be the subject of a £30m offer from the Lilywhites.

The incoming Spurs boss previously signed Hatate for a bargain fee of just £1.4m back in January 2022, with the former Kawasaki Frontale ace only recently playing his part in the Glasgow side's treble success.

The 5 foot 7 ace – who still has three years left to run on his existing deal with the Hoops – has previously been tipped with a move to the Premier League in recent months, with high flying Brighton and Hove Albion seemingly among those showing an interest.

Who is Reo Hatate?

The diminutive maestro has been a central figure in Celtic's success under Postecoglou over the last two seasons, having even been described as the Greek-Aussie's "best signing" due to his "tremendous" impact, as per pundit Frank McAvennie.

Also lauded as a "beast in midfield" by journalist Sacha Pisani, Hatate has been "outstanding" during his time in Scottish football to date, according to pundit Chris Sutton, having contributed 13 goals and 14 assists in 66 games in all competitions from his central midfield berth.

It is then no surprise that Postecoglou could well be plotting a swift reunion with the one-cap machine at N17, with the £12k-per-week sensation potentially set to prove a real upgrade on current Spurs man, Oliver Skipp, next season.

The latter man has only recently been the subject of criticism from talkSPORT pundit Perry Groves, with the ex-Arsenal man stating that the young Englishman – and teammate Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg – are "like a double appendix" as "they don’t do anything in the centre of midfield".

That lack of impact is evidenced by the fact that the 22-year-old provided just one goal and no assists in 23 league appearances this season, while Hatate, by contrast, chipped in with six goals and eight assists in 32 outings in Scotland's top flight.

Hailed as a "joy to watch" by Pisani, the Bhoys star is able to offer a far greater creative outlet having created ten big chances and averaged 1.3 key passes per game in that time, while Skipp failed to create a single big chance and averaged just 0.4 key passes per game.

The Celtic gem also shone defensively after winning 56% of his ground duels and 59% of his aerial duels, with the current Spurs man having won just 51% of his ground duels and just a lowly 22% of his aerial duels.

Evidently, unlike Skipp, Hatate is able to offer a greater box-to-box, all-round presence, having been lauded for that relentless approach by pundit Alan Hutton, who stated: "He is all action, all energy, he is everywhere, tackling, scoring, creating."

With Postecoglou likely to benefit from having a familiar face in tow as he bids to implement his own style of play at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the signing of Hatate could prove to be a real masterstroke, while helping to sideline Skipp in the process.