Prominent reporter and Celtic fan Anthony Joseph has indicated that the club are unlikely to secure the services of Manchester City defender Ko Itakura this summer. The Hoops have been tracking the player throughout the Olympics, where he performed admirably for Japan, and a loan deal appeared to be on the cards at one stage. That transfer now looks dead in the water though, as the Sky Sports journalist has uploaded the following information to his Twitter account:
Also, I’m told Manchester City centre-back Ko Itakura is unlikely to move on loan to Celtic in this transfer window.
The Hoops were tracking the 24-year-old defender while he was playing for Japan at the Olympics this summer.#MCFC #CelticFC
— Anthony Joseph (@AnthonyRJoseph) August 17, 2021
Ange Postecoglou addressed the media this afternoon and reiterated that he would like to bring in a few more players to bolster his squad. The right back position is a clear area that the manager is looking to add depth, and the Bhoys have begun negotiations with Legia Warsaw over a potential transfer for Josip Juranovic. Meanwhile, Itakura is a centre half, so the club’s interest in the player suggests that a central defender must also formulate part of the gaffer’s thinking. That said, Christopher Jullien is close to returning from injury, Carl Starfelt was recently signed for a considerable fee and Stephen Welsh has performed well of late. Therefore, it will be interesting to see if there is any movement in that regard.
