Mönchengladbach (dpa / lnw) - Bundesliga soccer club Borussia Mönchengladbach has taken an important step in personnel planning for the new season by signing Ko Itakura. "He certainly had several attractive options for a change. We are all the more pleased that he is convinced of our path, because he is an important building block in our planning," said Borussia's sporting director Roland Virkus on the club's website about the transfer of the Japanese National player, who celebrated promotion to the Bundesliga with FC Schalke 04 in the summer.
The 25-year-old defender had a contract with English champions Manchester City until June 30, 2023 and was loaned to the Royal Blues last season. There he completed 31 league games (4 goals). Four to five million euros are to flow to Pep Guardiola Club Manchester City as a transfer fee for Itakura.
"Ko is an extremely strong and tactically disciplined player who can play in various positions on the defensive, including the six," Gladbach's sporting director Virkus said of Itakura's qualities. They were obviously not in demand at Guardiola. Itakura has not played in a competitive game at Man City since joining in January 2019.
Itakura traveled to the training camp at Tegernsee with Borussia and new coach Daniel Farke on Sunday and is scheduled to be officially presented there on Monday.
