CELTIC could land £1.5million-rated Vissel Kobe defender Yuki Kobayashi in January – FOR FREE.
The stylish 22-year-old left-sided centre-back is already heading for Parkhead to reunite with his former club team-mate Kyogo Furuhashi and his Japanese countrymen Reo Hatate, Daizen Maeda and Yosuke Ideguchi.
The champions had anticipated paying a fee for the player, but it appears he will be out of contract and allowed to walk away for nothing, according to reports in his homeland.
I’M ON MY WAY…Yuki Kobayashi will become a Celtic player in January.
Vissel Kobe, who received £4.6million when they sold striker Kyogo to Ange Postecoglou’s club in July last year, have announced the Under-23 international will exit in the coming weeks at the conclusion of their J-League season.
Now it has been revealed Kobayashi’s deal will expire at the turn of the year and he will be a free agent as he heads for a new career in Scotland.
The move to Celtic is expected to be rubberstamped on January 1 when the transfer window re-opens as was the case with Hatate, Maeda and Ideguchi who had arrived in the country on Hogmanay.
Scotland’s title kings will kick off 2023 with the derby at Ibrox on January 2, but it is highly unlikely the new Bhoy will be pitched straight into the action.
VAR-CICAL, BUT HAKSABANOVIC DOUBLE AND LATE STRIKES FROM KYOGO, ABADA CLAIM WIN
