Celtic had been heavily linked with a loan move for Manchester City’s Ko Itakura last summer but he ended up joining Schalke on a temporary basis instead, and ultimately ended up playing a major part in their promotion back to the Bundesliga. This summer, Pep Guardiola’s side are believed to be ready to let the Japanese defender leave on a permanent basis.

Schalke are believed to have an option to buy included in the loan deal for Itakura of a transfer fee around €6 million. But rumours have suggested that the German giants could struggle to match that figure amidst the current financial climate.

Thus, a move for Itakura to other teams in the summer has not been ruled out and Celtic are one of the clubs believed to have an interest in the Japanese player’s signature.

There is going to be heavy competition for the player this summer though. As tweeted out by Lyall Thomas, Fulham and Bournemouth have an interest in signing Itakura while Schalke want him on a permanent basis as well. He seems to have caught the attention of Hoffenheim and SC Freiburg too.

Celtic will have to face heavy competition in the race  to sign Itakura

Thus, it is safe to say that the future of Itakura is pretty much up in the air and he would have plenty of options to pick from this summer, if he does indeed leave Manchester City, which he is expected to do.

Someone like Itakura could be a solid signing for Celtic, who are already believed to be on the lookout for a new defender, since Jullien is expected to depart in the summer.

The big question is though that would they be willing to make a big investment of that kind in the summer, especially if they end up signing Cameron Carter-Vickers on a big money move from Tottenham Hotspur.