Berlin, August 20: Japan’s international footballer Itakura has made a return to Borussia Monchengladbach after a year. The German club announced on Thursday that they have re-signed the center-back from Ajax Amsterdam. Itakura left the club last year to join Ajax but is now back with the Bundesliga side.
The 29-year-old player has signed a contract that runs until 2030, returning after spending the 2025-26 season in the Netherlands. Itakura is expected to help fill the defensive gap left by Nico Elvedi, who concluded his 11-year journey with Gladbach to join Leeds United.
Sporting Director Ruven Schröder mentioned that the club had considered bringing Itakura back during the winter transfer window and welcomed the opportunity to finalize this transfer.
Schröder stated, “We are very pleased to have signed a player whose quality and experience match the profile we were looking for after Nico Elvedi’s departure.” He emphasized that Itakura’s previous familiarity with the club would help him integrate quickly, noting that the defender was also eager to return. Itakura expressed, “I am very happy to be back at Borussia. I missed the club a lot, and when the offer came, I decided to return immediately. It feels like home again for me.”
Itakura originally joined Gladbach from Manchester City in the summer of 2022 and established himself as a regular player over three seasons. Before moving to Ajax in 2025, he played 80 competitive matches and scored seven goals. During his season in Amsterdam, the defender played 19 matches and netted one goal.
Prior to his first transfer to Gladbach, Itakura spent nearly two and a half years on loan with Dutch team Groningen after joining Manchester City from Japan in January 2019. He later played on loan with Schalke 04 during the 2021-22 season, where he scored four goals in 31 matches in the second tier. On the international stage, Itakura has earned 42 senior caps for Japan and scored two goals for the national team.
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