LONDON - Japan defender Yukinari Sugawara has joined Serie A side Cagliari on loan from Southampton in England's second-tier Championship, the Italian club announced Tuesday.
The loan runs until the end of the current season and includes an option to buy, according to Southampton.
The Aichi Prefecture native moved from J.League side Nagoya Grampus to Dutch top-flight club AZ Alkmaar in 2019. He transferred to Southampton in 2024 and spent the past season on loan to Werder Bremen in the German Bundesliga.
He played for the Samurai Blue at this year's World Cup hosted jointly by Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
Sugawara's move was one of several involving Japanese players before the closing of European league transfer windows.
English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur sent defender Kota Takai to Sint-Truiden in the Belgian top division on a season-long loan, while midfielder Reo Hatate has joined Championship side Burnley from Scottish champions Celtic on a three-year deal.
Takai, a center-back who represented Japan at the 2024 Paris Olympics, is set to play alongside compatriots Shogo Taniguchi and Ryotaro Araki among other Japanese players at Sint-Truiden.
The 21-year-old transferred to Tottenham from J1 side Kawasaki Frontale in the summer of 2025. He played on loan for the German top-flight club Borussia Monchengladbach from January to June this year.
Hatate, 28, moved to Celtic from Frontale during the 2021-22 season and contributed to multiple Scottish league and cup titles.
Burnley are aiming to return to the Premier League following their relegation from the top-flight last season.
