Veteran Japanese defender Yuto Nagatomo is set for a return to his first club, FC Tokyo, a source close to the matter said Friday.

Turning 35 on Sunday, Nagatomo will be back in the J-League after 11 years in Europe. The fullback spent seven years at Italian giants Inter Milan after signing for the then-European champions in early 2011.

Yuto Nagatomo. (Getty/Kyodo)

Nagatomo joined FC Tokyo in 2008 while still at Meiji University and signed for Italian side Cesena after the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. He spent half a season at the club before his move to Inter.

He spent two-and-half years at Galatasaray from the start of 2018 before moving to Marseille, where he played a season alongside compatriot Hiroki Sakai. The fellow fullback has already made his return to the J-League this summer with Urawa Reds.

Nagatomo had been looking for a new club in Europe as a free agent after leaving Marseille but decided to return to Japan, the source said.

Nagatomo has the second-most caps for the Japan national team at 127, the latest of which came in a 1-0 World Cup qualifier win over China on Tuesday. He is only behind Yasuhito Endo's 152 caps.

Nagatomo has played in the last three World Cups.


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