Kyosuke Tagawa: Hearts and Tokyo confirm Japan forward's pending transfer to Tynecastle
- Published
Kyosuke Tagawa (right) could not prevent Santa Clara being relegated while on loan last season
Japan forward Kyosuke Tagawa is poised to join Heart of Midlothian from Tokyo.
The Scottish Premiership club have confirmed "that it is in negotiations" to sign the 24-year-old.
It follows the J-League club's announcement that the deal had been completed and that Tagawa "will be transferring to Heart of Midlothian FC (Scotland) on a permanent basis".
Tagawa, who joined Tokyo from top-tier rivals Sagan Tosu four years ago, has two caps for his country.
The Edinburgh club's website added: "Whilst we would have preferred to wait until all documentation was finalised before announcing, we hope that this formality will be completed very soon and we will then be able to officially welcome him to Hearts."
Tagawa, who can play up front or on the wing, has made 78 appearances for Tokyo, scoring 10 goals, but spent the last two years on loan to Portuguese club Santa Clara.
He played 30 times last season, half of them as a substitute, and scored seven times as Santa Clara finished bottom of the Primeira Liga and suffered relegation.
Tagawa told his Tokyo's website: "I have decided to transfer to Heart of Midlothian FC. First of all, I would like to express my sincere apologies to the fans and supporters of FC Tokyo who warmly welcomed my return, as I will be transferring immediately.
"I am also filled with gratitude towards the team officials who respected my wishes and supported me. Just when I was determined to start from scratch and do my best, I received an offer and couldn't give up on my dream of challenging myself overseas, so I made this decision."
Meanwhile, Hearts are also being linked, external with the permanent signing of 21-year-old forward Kenneth Vargas from Herediano in the Costa Rican top flight.
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