Leeds United appear to be closing in on a deal to bring Japanese international Yosuke Ideguchi to Elland Road.
Leeds United are closing in on the signing of one of the most talented young players in Asian football – and he will cost them just £700,000, as reported by The Sun.
Director of football Victor Orta claimed last week that Leeds would complete a surprise signing of a player from the Far East and Gamba Osaka midfielder Yosuke Ideguchi has emerged as the mystery man.
The 21-year-old is one of Japan’s brightest stars, winning the J League Rookie of the Year award in 2016 to follow in the footsteps of Takashi Usami, who enjoyed a brief stint at Bayern Munich, and Arsenal prospect Takuma Asano.
And the report claims that Leeds are prepared to trigger Ideguchi’s £700,000 buyout clause, making the talented midfielder a potentially excellent bargain buy – although work permit issues could slow the pace of the deal.
Ideguchi has played three times for Japan and scored a stunning goal in the 2-0 win against Australia in the recent international break to secure the Far East nation’s place at next summer’s World Cup in Russia.
And he would be another example of Leeds tapping into under-the-radar markets in order to find talent that other clubs might not have noticed.
The likes of Samu Saiz and Ezgjan Alioski, brought in from Spanish second tier side Huesca and Swiss outfit Lugano respectively, already look like inspired signings and Ideguchi will hope to follow their lead.
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