Celtic deny Nakamura exit claim

Nakamura is back in training with Celtic following injury

Celtic will reject any move for Japan midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura from former Japanese club Yokohama Marinos.

The J-League club have admitted they would be interested in signing the 29-year-old, but not in January.

Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell told BBC Sport that there has been no approach for the Japan international.

And he stressed that Celtic had a year's option, starting in June, on Nakamura's contract and would be looking to extend his stay further.

The Marinos general manager, Katsunori Nakamura, who is not related to the Hoops player, said: "If he comes back to Japan, we, the Marinos, would like to stand for the candidacy as his next destination, but nothing has been decided.

MY SPORT: DEBATE I reckon he'll be here for at least another season Gatesheadbhoy

"I think there will be the moment that I will have to go to Scotland for talks about this, but not now and not in January. I'd like to visit Celtic when the time comes."

Nakamura arrived in Glasgow from Italy in 2005 following a £2.5m transfer from Serie A outfit Reggina.

He quickly became a mainstay of Celtic's midfield and boosted the club's commercial interests in the Far East.

Celtic and the player's agent rejected suggestions this summer that Nakamura was looking to leave the club and had a get-out clause in his contract.

But Nakamura's season has been plagued by injury and he made the last of his 12 appearances in November.