*This content was translated by AI.
Japanese national midfielder Tanaka Ao (28), who plays for Leeds United in the English Premier League (EPL), is likely to move to the Turkiye stage.
Turkiye's "Panatic" reported on the 31st (Korea Standard Time) that "Galatasaray is pursuing the recruitment of Leeds' Tanaka Ao."
Tanaka played in 20 league games this season, taking charge of Leeds' midfield. However, an unusual atmosphere has been detected in the team's position recently. He has not been listed on the league's starting list in the new year and is only on the ground as a substitute for all games. The reduced playing time seems to have been the background of the transfer rumor.
Galatasaray is looking to recruit Tanaka by keeping an eye on this situation. Galatasaray, a traditional powerhouse in the Turkiye Schiffer League, selected Tanaka as the right person to reinforce the midfield and started moving.
Tanaka, who made his professional debut in 2017 with Kawasaki Frontale in the J-League, moved to Düsseldorf in the second division of the German Bundesliga in 2021 and entered the European stage. Based on his four seasons with Düsseldorf, he moved to Leeds in the summer of 2024. And he was lucky to be promoted to the EPL after one season of playing on the England stage.
He played in 45 official matches on the championship stage last season, scoring five goals and two assists. At that time, Tanaka played in Leeds' midfield nuclear style and was said to be comparable to the EPL level as well as the strongest in the championship. However, he has rarely played in the EPL.
Amid the imminent deadline for the winter transfer market, attention is being paid to whether Tanaka, who is struggling to compete for the starting lineup, will move to a prestigious club in Turkiye.
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*This content was translated by AI.
