HLN are reporting that Union St Gilloise’s Japanese defender Koki Machida is set to move to the Bundesliga. The central defender will join Hoffenheim for a reported €5m, giving the Brussels based side a profit of around €4m, having signed the defender for just €1m a few seasons ago.
Machida has been a key player for Union in recent seasons. The defender joined the club midway through the 2021/2022 season on loan from Kashima Antlers. He had made 113 appearances with eight goals for the J League side, and after 21 appearances for Union he was signed permanently in the summer of 2023. Machida has gone on to play 93 times for the side, scoring four goals. None of these goals will be remembered as much as the goal he scored during the cup final in 2024. The defender grabbed the only goal of the game to give the side their first domestic cup victory in 110 years.
Read the full article here