Fulham and Bournemouth have been dealt a transfer blow, with Bundesliga side Borussia Monchengladbach emerging as leaders in the race to sign Manchester City defender Ko Itakura.

As per the Sky Sports journalist Lyall Thomas, the German side are prepared to make the Japanese defender a more attractive offer than his suitors in England.

It was previously reported by Lyall that both of the newly-promoted sides were interested in a move for the 25-year-old.

Ko Itakura signed for Manchester City in 2019 and although on the books at the Etihad Stadium, he is yet to make a first-team appearance for the Citizens.

Since then, the 25-year-old has spent all of his time away from Manchester, spending three seasons out on loan at Groningen in the Netherlands between 2019 and 2021.

In his first half season there, he failed to make any first team appearances, but in 2019/20, he racked up 23 appearances for the club.

The following season he had more of an impact, appearing 36 times for the club in all competitions.

Ahead of the 2021/22 campaign, Itakura joined Bundesliga 2 outfit Schalke, where he went on to make 32 appearances for the second-tier German outfit as they won the league title.

The Verdict

This is certainly a blow to Fulham and Bournemouth in their pursuit of the Japanese defender, however, it could be a blessing in disguise.

Itakura has zero experience of playing his football in England, and with all due respect to the second-tier of Germany, the Premier League is a big step up.

For Bournemouth, I'd much rather pursue somebody like Nat Phillips, just because he is more of a known quantity having spent time last season on loan at the Vitality Stadium.

That said, Monchengladbach are a fantastic side and if they see Itakura as a prospective signing, it suggests that they also believe the defender has the quality to compete in one of Europe's elite leagues.