As per YEP, Leeds United are looking to bring Gamba Osaka midfielder Yosuke Ideguchi to Elland Road during the January winter transfer window.
Having announced that the club were close to signing a big surprise from Asia, Leeds’ sporting director Victor Orta was actually referring to the J-League side midfielder.
The Japanese international has been a revelation for Osaka since putting pen to paper for his first professional deal back in 2014 as an 18-year-old.
Ideguchi helped Japan secure qualifications for Russia 2018 World Cup during the last international break, scoring in the 2-0 victory over Australia, just months after earning his first senior national team cap.
The 21-year-old emerged as J-League’s young player of the year last season after helping Osaka finish sixth on the table, and has already scored thrice in 20 appearances this year.
With the Japansese term scheduled to end on December 2, a move to Leeds could be finalized for Ideguchi before the winter transfer window closes, as Leeds would have had enough time needed to secure a work permit for the player, as he falls short of the F.A’s points-based criteria for non-EU footballers at the moment.
Going into the second half of the campaign, the Whites sure can do with yet another addition to their midfield as legs begin to tire.
Apart from further helping to boost Leeds’ popularity in Japan and Asia, Ideguchi could prove to be more than a market strategy in the end, with his talent and potential likely to see him force his way into manager Thomas Christiansen’s plans once he gets used to English football.
