Yuki Kobayashi is NOT on the brink of joining Kashima Antlers on loan.
During Thursday a couple of reports emerged from Japan claiming that a six month deal was about to be completed but Mark Hendry of Football Scotland has ruled out that happening.
Since he exclusively broke the news of Celtic signing Alexandro Bernabei from Lanus in June 2022 Hendry has been a trusted source of Celtic transfer news.
Tonight in Football Scotland he reports:
Yuki Kobayashi has not agreed any return to the J League despite recent reports.
The Celtic defender has not kicked a ball under Brendan Rodgers and Football Scotland understands he was previously close to an exit to HJK Helsinki before that expected switch collapsed.
Reports in Japan this week claimed that Kashima Antlers were closing in on the 23-year-old but we understand the Hoops would prefer to keep hold of the player right now despite no indication that he’ll be involved any time soon.
Kobayashi is behind the likes of Stephen Welsh, Liam Scales, Maik Nawrocki and even another outcast, Gustaf Lagerbielke, and that would suggest a future at Parkhead is unlikely for the defender.
At the end of last season Tomoki Iwata was playing in central defence ahead of Kobayashi which throws doubt on any claim that Celtic want to retain the defender who has only been involved in testimonial matches against Ayr United and Dundee since the season started.
It could be that Celtic would prefer a different loan move with the only certainty being that it would take an unprecedented run of injuries to revive Kobayashi’s Celtic career.
Since the turn of the year misfits Marco Tilio, Kwon Hyeok-kyu and Bernabei have left Celtic to go out on loan, after some horse trading it is likely that Kobayashi will join that list, at Kashima Antlers or elsewhere.
The guy with the funny moustache that owns Celtic is worth 2 billion quid and our club are constantly haggling with other club over an extra couple of hundred thousand when it comes to transfer fees,just who are mugs here.