Kiyotake leaves Sevilla, re-signs with Cerezo

Sevilla midfielder Hiroshi Kiyotake has re-signed with former club Cerezo Osaka, an official of the J. League first-division side said Wednesday.

Cerezo team director Kiyoshi Okuma said Kiyotake will return on a full transfer as the winter transfer market closed Tuesday. Cerezo have been promoted to the J. League top flight for this season.

The 27-year-old will come back to Japan for the first time since the summer of 2012, when he left Cerezo for Nuremburg in the Bundesliga.

Kiyotake signed with Sevilla at the start of the season from German outfit Hannover, but has been limited to just four La Liga appearances. His last game came on Dec. 21 in the Copa del Rey.

Unable to work his way back into the team with Sevilla contending for the league title, just four points behind leader Real Madrid, Kiyotake’s days in Spain appeared to be numbered.

Shibasaki joins Tenerife

Kashima Antlers midfielder Gaku Shibasaki has signed for Tenerife in the Spanish second division on Tuesday after his proposed transfer to La Liga side Las Palmas fell through.

The 24-year-old Shibasaki was expected to join Las Palmas by Tuesday’s winter transfer deadline after he flew to Spain on Saturday for final negotiations. But Las Palmas had been juggling multiple potential signings and in the end, opted not to sign Shibasaki.

Kashima was willing to take him back, but Shibasaki stood firm on playing abroad and now joins another side in the Canary Islands, off the western coast of Africa. Tenerife is currently sixth in the table and in a promotion playoff spot.