Report: Bielefeld set to purchase Okugawa for just under €2 million
By Peter Vice
While a Ritsu Doan purchase may have proved far to rich for one of the Bundesliga's smallest market club's blood, DSC sporting director Samir Arabi recently confirmed to German footballing magazine Kicker that die Arminnen are close to signing Japan U20 international Masaya Okugawa permanently.
| Masaya Okugawa. | Photo: GEPA Pictures/Florian Ertl |
Bielefeld are apparently close to plucking midfielder Masaya Okugawa away from the Red Bull system. German footballing magazine Kicker quotes club executive Samir Arabi as saying that a deal is "close at hand".
Okugawa and fellow countryman Ritsu Doan gelled marvelously in East Westphalia during the second half of the season, at one point becoming the first Japanese duo to both score in a top flight German fixture since 2016.
A €5 million purchase clause for Doan was out of the question for Bielefeld, but it appears as if club management has been able to negotiate RB Salzburg down to a transfer fee of just under €2 million for their 25-year-old midfielder.
Kicker reports that Arminia can pay the fee off in installments and that Okugawa will be signed through 2024.