Former Spain midfielder Juan Mata has agreed to join Vissel Kobe in the J-League first division until the end of the season, a source with knowledge of the deal revealed Saturday.
The 35-year-old playmaker has been without a club since parting ways with Turkey's Galatasaray this summer.
He is said to be rushing to obtain a work visa and complete other procedures in order to make Friday's J-League player registration deadline.
A skillful attacker who previously starred for Valencia in the Spanish top flight and Chelsea in the English Premier League, Mata was teammates at Manchester United with former Japan midfielder Shinji Kagawa, now of Cerezo Osaka.
He was a member of the Spanish team that won the 2010 World Cup along with former Vissel star Andres Iniesta.
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