According to AS, Celtic are in the race to sign Real Madrid talent Takefusa Kubo on loan this summer – but face huge competition.
It’s claimed that Celtic have joined Ajax, Lazio and AC Milan in making enquiries to Real madrid about a possible deal, which would likely be a loan.
25 other clubs are keen on Kubo, with Paris Saint-Germain one of them. Kubo has a €250million (£229million) release clause in his contract, so he’s unlikely to be leaving permanent.
Kubo has been out on loan at Real Mallorca this season. The playmaker has notched three goals and three assists for the La Liga side, but will now return to Real.
With a breakthrough at Real unlikely and them needing to free up non-EU spots, Kubo is likely to go out on loan again – and Celtic now want him.
The Bhoys could play Kubo as a number 10 or in from the right flank, and he has been compared to ex-Celtic playmaker Shunsuke Nakamura – a player Gordon Strachan called ‘terrific’ during his time at Parkhead.
Kubo is a Japanese playmaker, so comparisons to Nakamura – one of Japanese football’s most successful exports – is no great shock.
Yet the comparison went even further, when pundit and former Japanese footballer Tetsuo Nakanishi told FootballChannel in Japan that Kubo and Celtic hero Nakamura have similar styles of free kick taking.
Celtic fans will remember some of the stunning goals Nakamura scored on his left foot, both from free kicks and long-range, and they would no doubt love to see Kubo arrive and do the same.
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