Japanese based journalist Dan Orlowitz has delivered the lowdown on potential Celtic signing Yuki Kobayashi after reports claimed a deal for the Vissel Kobe defender was close. [Sponichi Japan]

The 22-year-old is just about to finish up the J-League season with Vissel and all signs point to Yuki becoming Ange Postecoglou’s FIFTH signing from the Japanese market.

Intrigued by the rumours, we spoke to Dan about Yuki and what he could bring to Celtic. The journalist also spoke about the kind of fee Celtic would be looking at to secure the defender’s signature.

“With the J-League closing this weekend, I would imagine things will happen quickly and he will have his medical and then start to get integrated ahead of the January window.” Dan Exclusively told CeltsAreHere.

“I reckon he could cost between 1.5 and 2 million Euros – somewhere in that area.

Celtic CEO Michael Nicholson overseen all four J-League signings last season.

“He potentially brings a lot of what Ange Postecoglou is looking for in terms of contributing to the build-up. He is not necessarily a shot-taker, but he can force turnovers, set up passes and move the ball forward.

“He’s got very good tactical awareness. He’s not the kind of player who will rush into a tackle.

“But he’s still young and prone to mistakes and we saw that on Saturday when he gave away a penalty against Kawasaki Frontale.

“That’s nothing that good coaching and guidance can’t fix and I think in terms of young prospects, players we expect to make an impact going forward for the national team he is certainly up there.

“So this is a very astute bit of scouting by Celtic if this goes through and it looks like it will.”

Ange was quick to bring in the three bhoys from Japan last year once the J-League had come to its conclusion. It’s the perfect time to sign players from that part of the world. With Kyogo, he left Vissel halfway through the season. Daizen Maeda could’ve done the same but opted to stay with Yokohama to see out the season before reuniting with Ange Postecoglou in Glasgow.

Ange’s hit rate from the J-League has been pretty good. Three out of the four players signed so far have had a massive impact on Celtic’s fortunes. The only player struggling to make any sort of inroads is Yosuke Ideguchi. At the time, it was Dan who did suggest he was the player who seemed like the biggest gamble when the trio joined the club.

It will be interesting to see how this deal progresses and if Celtic can get the deal done quick enough so Yuki could join them during the team’s hot weather camp in Portugal.

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