Bundesliga ace Daichi Kamada insists he is ‘staying in Frankfurt’ beyond the January transfer window amid speculation linking the Japan international with Premier League trio Everton, Leeds United and Tottenham Hotspur, speaking to Sport1.
It says a lot about the attacking talent available to this Japanese side that neither Kyogo Furuhashi nor Reo Hatate – key cogs in Celtic’s title-winning machine – are heading to Qatar this month.
Kamada, in contrast, does have a seat on the plane. With 12 goals and four assists from 22 matches at club level this season, expect one of Europe’s most underrated attacking midfielders to play a major role if Japan are to escape a group containing the mighty Spain and Germany.
Fortunately for the Samurai Blues, Kamada is in arguably the form of his life for Eintracht Frankfurt.
And the Europa League winners can rest a little easier now, in the knowledge that one of their star players is determined to stay. Not just beyond January but potentially beyond the summer too.
Daichi Kamada commits his future to Bundesliga outfit Eintracht Frankfurt
“I’m staying in Frankfurt this season,” says the £26 million-rated Kamada. “Even if there could be talks with other clubs in winter, I’m not interested in leaving immediately.
“I’ve already decided that I want to finish the season with this coach and this team. I am much more demanding than you think when it comes to the clubs I would like to switch to. There has been talks and contact with big clubs for two years.”
Kamada’s current deal expires in the summer of 2023. The former Sagan Tosu youngster is, however, opening the door to an extension.
“Of course, we are in talks about extending my contract,” he adds. After my performance, that’s not a big surprise either.”
According to SPORT1, Leeds United are keeping tabs on Kamada, while Tottenham Hotspur are also long-time admirers. A player capable of finding pockets of space in a tightly-packed penalty area could come in very handy too; especially in a Spurs side increasingly over-reliant on the creativity of Dejan Kulusevski (Sport Bild).
Everton were the latest team to emerge in the race, via BILD, recently.
Kamada’s Frankfurt team-mates, Jesper Lindstrom and Evan Ndicka, are both reportedly targets for Mikel Arteta’s league-leading Arsenal.
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