Nakamura set to announce Spain move: report

June 21, 2009

TOKYO (AFP) – Japan’s Shunsuke Nakamura will announce his move to Espanyol from Celtic as early as Tuesday and make his debut in a friendly against Liverpool on August 2, a report said Sunday.

Nakamura’s agent Roberto Tsukuda will Monday meet executives at J-League side Yokohama Marinos, who were also vying for his signature, to tell them of the star’s intention after talks with Espanyol in Barcelona over the past week.

Nakamura told Tsukuda by telephone last week that he had decided on the move to the Spanish side after talks with Yokohama, his first professional side, collapsed, Nikkan Sports said.

His debut will also be the inaugural match at Espanyol’s new stadium.

According to Japanese reports, the two-year deal will see Nakamura, who is leaving Celtic on a free transfer, pick up 1.2 million euros a year (1.7 million dollars).

Nakamura turns 31 on Wednesday and his contract with former Scottish champions Celtic expires at the end of this month.

“It’s up to Shun (Nakamura) to decide. Marinos or Espanyol,” Tsukuda told another daily, Sankei Sports.

“It is not that he is choosing terms of his contract. The point is how he will spend one year in the run-up to the World Cup finals and which is better for him to raise the level of his play.”

After polishing his game with the Marinos, Nakamura spent three years at Reggina in Italy before joining the Glasgow side in 2005 and helping them to three successive Scottish Premier League championships.

Despite his longtime dream of playing in Spain, Nakamura has recently talked of returning to the J-League to ease the burden of travelling for international duty ahead of the World Cup and raise his children in Japan.

But talks with Yokohama stalled with Nakamura’s side reportedly citing the club’s “insincerity” over financial matters and requests for his appearance in club events before he signed a contract.

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Nakamura close to signing with Espanyol: report

June 17, 2009

TOKYO (AFP) – Japan and Celtic star Shunsuke Nakamura is on the verge of signing with Espanyol to realise his longtime dream of playing in the Spanish league, according to a press report.

Nakamura’s agent Roberto Tsukuda and Espanyol have “already reached a basic agreement” on the midfielder’s transfer to the Spanish club, the Sports Hochi reported citing an unnamed source involved in the talks under way in Barcelona.

The daily said that Espanyol sporting director Ramon Planes had secretly visited Japan recently and offered Nakamura a two-year deal with an annual pre-tax wage of 200 million yen (2.1 million dollars).

Tsukuda has been talking with Planes and Espanyol executive German de la Cruz four times a day since he arrived in Barcelona late Saturday, Hochi said.

The agent is expected to return to Japan shortly. His Tokyo office, Sport Consulting Japan, refused to comment on the report.

Nakamura, who turns 31 next week, had intially expressed his readiness to re-sign with his former J-League club Yokohama Marinos when his contract with the former Scottish champions expires at the end of this month.

But the talks with Yokohama have stalled with Nakamura’s side reportedly citing the club’s “insincerity” over financial matters and requests for his appearances in club events before he signed a contract.

Yokohama have offered him a two-and-a-half-year deal with an annual wage of 150 million yen, according to Japanese media.

Nakamura has spent the past seven seasons in Europe, the first three with Italy’s Reggina. The left-footed deadball specialist helped the Glasgow side clinch the Scottish Premier League title from 2006 to 2008.

Tags: 1 million dollars, celtic, celtic star, consulting japan, deadball, Espanyol, Europe, Glasgow, insincerity, Italy, j league, Japan, japanese media, LA Liga, longtime dream, premier league, Ramon Planes, Roberto Tsukuda, scottish champions, Scottish Premier League, seasons in europe, seven seasons, shunsuke nakamura, spanish club, spanish league, tokyo, tokyo office, tsukuda, unnamed source, YOKOHAMA, yokohama marinos

Espanyol join race to sign Nakamura – reports

May 31, 2009

TOKYO (AFP) – Spanish league strugglers Espanyol have joined the race to sign Japan and Celtic midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura, media here reported.

There will be no transfer fee required to get Nakamura, who turns 31 in late June, when his contract with Celtic expires next month.

"It is true they (Espanyol) have approached us," Nakamura’s agent Roberto Tsukuda told the Daily Sports newspaper, which also reported that Celtic have formally offered to extend their deal with the left-footed playmaker.

But Nakamura is widely reported to be on the verge of signing with his old J-League home club Yokohama Marinos.

Espanyol have promised Nakamura an annual wage of about 200 million yen (2.1 million dollars), compared with 150 million yen offered by Yokohama, Sports Hochi reported.

Nakamura has spent the past seven seasons in Europe, the first three with Italy’s Reggina and the rest at Parkhead.

There have also been approaches from clubs in England, France and Italy to get Nakamura and he will make a final decision in June, according to the daily Asahi Shimbun.