Inter Confirm the Departure of Long Serving Full Back Yuto Nagatomo to Galatasaray

Inter have confirmed that they have come to an agreement with Turkish outfit Galatasaray for the sale of left back Yuto Nagatomo. The Japanese defender has spent the last eight seasons with the Serie A outfit, but his time at San Siro seems close to ending.

A prominent figure over the years for the Nerazzurri. In his time with the club, Nagatomo has racked up an impressive 213 appearances - chipping in with a rather modest 13 goals along the way.

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However, now at the ripe age of 31, the pace of the Italian top flight has been getting away from him for a while now, and following a successful stint at the club during the second half of last season, Nagatomo will stay at Galatasaray.

The news was broken on Inter's official website, and the club have gone on to thank Nagatomo for his efforts in the navy and black shirt, before wishing him the very best of luck in his future endeavours.

While Nagatomo will no doubt be excited for what the future holds at club level, he'll certainly be fully focused on his international exploits for now.

Following a surprisingly impressive group stage from Japan, the nation now feature in the World Cup's last 16 round, and the difficulty has ramped up.

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Facing off against Group G winners Belgium, Nagatomo and Co have a lot of work to do if they are to make it to the quarter final. Should they do the unimaginable and beat Roberto Martinez's team, the Japanese will then face either Brazil or Mexico. A difficult week beckons.