Celtic defender Yuki Kobayashi’s loan move to HJK Helsinki has collapsed, sources have told Football Insider.
The 23-year-old had flown out for talks with the Finnish club after being given the green light by the Glasgow giants to move.
With their transfer window open from now until April, HJK was eager to sign Kobayashi, and talks were moving further.
However, the player has already canceled the move and is back in the gym working out with his teammates from the Hoops.
Kobayashi has not yet made an appearance for Brendan Rodgers’ team this season and is well down the Celtic hierarchy.
Kobayashi, the forgotten guy of Celtic, sees the transfer fall between the cracks.
Thus far in the 2023–24 campaign, he has only been included in one matchday squad.
The center back signed a contract with Celtic that ran through May 2028 after leaving Vissel Kobe in January 2023.
Under former coach Ange Postecoglou, he made seven appearances in the second part of the previous season. However, new coach Aaron Rodgers has decided that he is no longer needed.
Kobayashi is just one member of the Japanese delegation at Celtic; the other members are Kyogo Furuhashi, Daizen Maeda, Reo Hatate, and Tomoki Iwata, who are all registered at Parkhead.
Rangers is now a stronger opponent for the Scottish Premiership than the Hoops are.
After Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Kilmarnock, Celtic are now two points behind the Gers in the standings (17 February).
Despite this fresh information, Football Insider reported on Monday, February 19, that the team is not planning to take a snap decision over Brendan Rodgers’ future.
In other developments, a £26 million settlement is revealed in discovered records, leading experts to declare Celtic and Rangers untouchable.
Follow us on Facebook or subscribe to our recently launched WhatsApp channel for more Celtic and exclusive news sent directly to your phone.
