Manchester City have signed Japanese defender Ko Itakura and immediately sent him on loan to Dutch team FC Groningen, the Eredivisie side said Monday.
The 21-year-old spent the previous J-League season playing for Vegalta Sendai on loan from Kawasaki Frontale.
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He will remain on loan in the Netherlands until the summer of 2020, joining fellow Japanese Ritsu Doan at struggling Groningen who are 15th in the table with four wins, three draws and 10 losses.
"I'm going to put myself in a high-growth environment and push myself forward," Itakura said through the J-League first division club.
