Rumoured Celtic target Ko Itakura has revealed he is “happy” after hearing of rumoured Celtic interest. The Manchester City player had been on-loan at Schalke in Bundesliga 2 last season, with the German club unable to make the deal permanent due to financial constraints.

Now Glasgow Times have reported that Itakura has been quizzed on these reputed links while away on international duty with Japan. He said: “I’m very happy to hear that story because I’ve seen it in the news. Firstly, I want to go where I am needed. I haven’t decided on a team yet, no. I want to help myself by taking for myself before I decide to go.”

The Japanese centre-half – who can also play in the defensive midfield role – has been in camp with Celtic’s three amigos, Daizen Maeda, Kyogo Furuhashi and Reo Hatate. No doubt the players will be chatting about any prospective link-up at club level, with the deal to take him to Germany falling flat on its face recently.

With City still keen to get him off the books, it looks like Itakura may very well still find a permanent state of residence yet this pre-season. Doubled with the fact that Celtic’s need for a central defender came into sharp focus after the untimely injury to part of our defensive rock, Carl Starfelt, and the move could be one that is a match made in heaven.

A very classy, ball playing centre-back who is tall, athletic – and left-footed might I add – it’s not difficult to see why Celtic might be keen to rekindle any interest they had from last summer. We have an ace in the hole with our three Japanese superstars having already been exposed to the Celtic culture, with all three in love with the club already. Now it looks like they may be able to bend their countryman’s ear if Ange desires to follow up on last year’s enquiries.

Paul Gillespie