Yokohama F. Marinos defender and J. League Player of the Year Tomoki Iwata is likely to join Scottish giants Celtic on loan, sources familiar with the matter said late Monday.
The 25-year-old Iwata made his senior national team debut in 2019 and was part of Japan's East Asian E-1 Championship-winning squad in July 2022.
Celtic have World Cup striker Daizen Maeda and other players from Japan, such as Kyogo Furuhashi and Reo Hatate.
Iwata moved from Oita Trinita to the Yokohama-based club in 2021 and led Marinos to their first J. League title in three years this past season, which ended before the World Cup in Qatar.