The countdown to the start of Celtic's season is on with Brendan Rodgers having now learned the fate of his Bhoys in green and white.

It was confirmed on Friday morning, during the SPFL's fixture launch, that the Hoops will begin their Premiership title defence at home to St Mirren on Sunday 3 August, before traveling to Pittodrie to face Aberdeen a week later.

Also, with a season-defining Champions League play-off to come at the end of August, Rodgers is eager for the club to act swiftly in the transfer market, so are they about to add defensive reinforcements?

Celtic targeting a new defender

According to a report by Sky Sports News, Celtic are 'in talks' with J League club Albirex Niigata, as they aim to sign Hayato Inamura, adding that the 23-year-old is 'keen' on a move to Parkhead.

Inamura has made just 34 professional appearances, with his team currently in the J League relegation zone, scoring his first-ever senior goal during a 3-2 defeat at Avispa Fukuoka on Saturday.

Before joining Albirex Niigata, he had come through Japan's college system, representing Maebashi Ikuei High School and then Toyo University, but could he now be on his way to Glasgow?

The latest on Maik Nawrocki's Celtic future

As noted by Mark Walker of the National, Maik Nawrocki could leave Celtic this summer, with Tan Kesler, who is the sporting director at Pogoń Szczecin, confirming they have "talked" about the possibility of bringing him back to Poland.

However, having finished fourth in last season's Ekstraklasa, thereby failing to qualify for Europe, the Dockers are unlikely to be able to match the £4m Celtic paid to sign Nawrocki from Legia Warszawa in the first place two years ago.

Fair to say, the centre-back has not made much of an impact since arriving in Glasgow, making just 18 appearances, scoring his first goal for the club against Aberdeen last mont

Thus, having started just 12 of Celtic's 107 matches across the last two seasons, it should not come as much of a surprise that he is angling for a move this summer.

So, would Inamura be an upgrade?

Well, Anthony Joseph of Sky Sports describes him as a "left-footed centre-back" who is also capable of filling-in at left-back, which could be useful versatility.

Should he arrive, he would become Celtic's ninth Japanese player, as the table below outlines.

Fair to say, there are some bona fide successes on that list, including last season's top scorer Daizen Maeda, as well as key midfielder Reo Hatate, who would surely help Inamura acclimatise to life in Glasgow.

Analyst and scout Will Glavin describes Inamura as "tactically intelligent" as well as "comfortable building from the back", adding that he would add "technical quality" to Rodgers' team, concluding that this is a "low-risk investment".

Meantime, Stephen McGowan of the Herald forecast that he will be able to compete with Auston Trusty and Liam Scales for the starting left-centre-back spot, with the place as Cameron Carter-Vickers' partner very much still up for grabs.

So, this appears to be a sensible addition from Celtic, but one that could spell the end for often-forgotten man Nawrocki, who would find his game time even more limited, forcing him to look elsewhere for game time.