It was last summer Celtic were linked with Ko Itakura to help shore up their back line. For whatever reason, the deal couldn’t be done and in the end Celtic signed Cameron Carter-Vickers who has been a major success during his loan spell.
Itakura has a good season with Schalke, heading out on-loan to the club from Manchester City to get much needed game time.
Sky Sports claim Celtic are still monitoring the centre back and have been while the Japanese star played for the German club.
Schalke confirmed this week they would not be pursuing a deal for the defender due to the financial constraints of the deal.
Itakura responded to the news by telling Schalke a fans he was disappointed he wouldn’t be sticking around but understood the reasons behind the decision:
“I really wanted to continue playing at Schalke and will miss all the people here. But I understand the situation behind the decision. [Schalke Official Site]
“I’m really thankful for my time at Schalke. S04 is a great club and we had an amazing season together. Every game and every minute at the Veltins-Arena was special for me. The fans are simply wonderful, they create a fantastic atmosphere. I felt like I was part of a big family.”
Celtic’s Interest
Celtic have been scouting the Japanese centre-back for well over a year and did their best to make a deal happen last term. Will the interest still be as strong this time around?
The focus for the Hoops has to be securing a deal for CCV, but with Christopher Jullien unhappy at his lack of game time under Ange, the Frenchman could leave this summer opening the door for another defender to come to the club.
Ange knows all about Ko but is it a deal that would make dense for the club — especially with it being reported Man City want £6m for their player.
