Leeds’ move for Yosuke Ideguchi gained more momentum over the past 24 hours after the Japanese star confirmed that he wanted to play abroad.
Japanese media outlet Sports Hochi ran an interview with Ideguchi after reports of an offer from Leeds and he said, “The desire to go abroad has not changed. The goal is there as a football player.”
This comes after a story in the Sun that claimed a deal was close after Leeds had reportedly agreed a deal for Ideguchi after triggering his £700k release clause.
The 21-year-old has just broken through into the Japan international team, and he scored a wonder goal in the third of his four appearances to date, in a 2-0 win against Australia.
Good move for Leeds?
Undoubtedly. £700k for an international player with this sort of promise is a real steal, even if he is untested in England. Leeds have set themselves up to bring in quality from overseas and so far it’s paid dividends, with Samu Saiz and Pierre-Michel Lasogga starring for the first team and helping the team to the top of the league. Ideguchi is a midfielder with real talent and if they can get past the work permit issues, he could be a new star in the making.
This Is Futbol rating: 8/10
Likely to happen?
The clubs have reportedly agreed a deal. And now the player has dropped a huge hint that he wants to play abroad, without actually naming Leeds specifically. It all points to a deal that’s all-but-done. So what’s the problem? Well, Ideguchi has only played four games for Japan and that’s not enough to get him a work permit. That means lots of red tape and even then their bid might not be successful. It would be a shame if Ideguchi was denied the opportunity to play in England, but Leeds seem confident and might know something we don’t. Leeds fans will be keeping their fingers crossed.
This Is Futbol rating: 7/10