U-17 World Cup Star Rento Takaoka Land Southampton Pre-Contract
Japan youth international striker Rento Takaoka is set to join newly-promoted Premier League side Southampton after the 17-year old signed a pre-contract deal on Wednesday. Takaoka broke into the scenes during the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Indonesia, where he led Japan to the round of 16 with his four goals, all of them coming off the bench, including two crucial group stage goals against Senegal that squeezed the Young Samurai Blue into the knockouts. A student of the Nissho Gakuen High School in Miyazaki, Takaoka's exploits in the U-17 World Cup attracted global attention and it was Southa...