Celtic are lining up medical for first January signing

Celtic seem to be closing in on their first signing of January. We saw earlier this year, how quickly and efficiently the Hoops could move in this regard, with the triple deal for Daizen Maeda, Reo Hatate and Yosuke Ideguchi announced even before the transfer window had opened. And it appears that they are looking to do the same thing this time around as well.

One of the areas that Celtic might be looking to improve in further at the start of next year is their defence. Carl Starfelt has struggled badly with injuries this season, spending the majority of the time out on the sidelines. On the other hand, question marks have been raised about the performances of both Stephen Welsh and Moritz Jenz.

As reported by the Football Insider, Celtic are lining up a medical for Vissel Kobe’s Yuki Kobayashi.

Kobayashi is just 22 years of age, a centre-back and a regular starter for Vissel Kobe. His contract with the Japanese club is believed to run out in January of next year though, meaning that Celtic could be about to sign him as a free agent.

Celtic are reportedly lining up a medical for their first signing of the January transfer window

Rumours had broken out about Celtic making a move for Kobayashi earlier. Initially, it was believed that they would be paying a transfer fee to Vissel Kobe but now, it looks like it will be a free transfer.

With the amount of coverage that this has gotten and how many sources have claimed that it would be happening, the Kobayashi to Celtic move now looks almost certain to happen.

Kobayashi is not a full Japan international yet but the 22-year-old could be a great fit into Postecoglou’s team. He is very good with the ball at his feet, can carry it out of defence and has an eye for a pass.

On the defensive side of things, Kobayashi is good aerially and has good positional awareness as well, not afraid to go into a tackle if the situation calls for it. Also, he is left-footed, which opens up a lot of tactical possibilities, when partnered with a right-footed centre-back.

At 22 years of age, he is not the complete player by any means but one would expect him to get better playing under the management of Postecoglou and alongside the players at Celtic.