Nakamura set for Espanyol move

Japanese midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura has decided to move to Espanyol from Celtic after talks over a transfer to his former club Yokohama Marinos collapsed, according to Jiji Press.

Officials of the J-League club confirmed the decision after holding talks with Nakamura’s agent on Monday, Jiji Press reported.
Club officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

Nakamura, 31, had initially expressed his readiness to re-sign with the Marinos when his contract with the former Scottish champions expires at the end of this month.

But the talks with Yokohama 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 had offered him a two-and-a-half-year deal with an annual wage of 150 million yen (1.6 million dollars), according to Japanese media.

Nakamura’s agent has already informed Espanyol about his intention to move to the Spanish side, which has offered 1.2 million euros a year (1.7 million dollars), Japanese media reported.

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 win and defend the Scottish Premier League title from 2006 to 2008.