Celtic want Yuki Kobayashi with Ange Postecoglou prioritising the signature of a left-sided centre back in the January transfer window.
The Bhoys snapped up a centre back over the summer with Moritz Jenz arriving on loan from Lorient.
Jenz has been starting alongside Cameron Carter-Vickers of late with Carl Starfelt currently out injured.
Celtic don’t have a naturally left-sided centre back though with Carter-Vickers, Jenz, Starfelt and Stephen Welsh all right-footed.
Celtic want Yuki Kobayashi
The Daily Mail report that Celtic are now in talks to sign Vissel Kobe defender Yuki Kobayashi.
Celtic have dipped into the Japanese transfer market four times since luring boss Ange Postecoglou away from Yokohama F. Marinos.
Kyogo Furuhashi, Reo Hatate, Daizen Maeda and Yosuke Ideguchi have all joined Celtic since Postecoglou’s arrival.
Postecoglou will always have his eye on football in Japan though and Kobayashi is his latest target.
Kobayashi, 22, has turned out 77 times for Vissel Kobe and has seemingly caught Postecoglou’s eye.
The Mail’s report suggests that signing a left-sided centre back is now a priority for Celtic ahead of the January window.
Kobayashi fits the bill for Celtic and he may well arrive in January to fulfil Postecoglou’s wishes.
Left-sided centre backs have become incredibly popular in recent years.
Just look at the money spent on Lisandro Martinez, Nico Schlotterbeck, Sven Botman and Nayef Aguerd over the summer.
Managers love the balance natural left-footers provide in terms of playing out from the back and finding angles for passes.
Postecoglou loves his teams to play out from the back so pushing for a left-sided centre back was only a matter of time.
The Australian may now have picked out Kobayashi as his ideal signing for that role with Celtic’s Japanese contingent potentially set to grow.
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