17-year-old forward Rento Takaoka has reached an agreement with the English club Southampton for the winter transfer window. Takaoka, who previously played for Tegevajaro Miyazaki in Japan and has been a part of Japan's youth national teams, managed to impress scouts with his outstanding performance at the 2023 U17 World Cup in Indonesia. During the group stage, he successfully scored all four of Japan's goals, which attracted the attention of international scouts. By agreeing to terms with Southampton, he is on the path to fulfilling his dream of playing in Europe. As part of this agreement, Takaoka is anticipated to be loaned out to Turkish club Göztepe, where he will further his development. The decision to loan him to Göztepe awaits a final analysis by the club's technical staff, which follows a recommendation by the Sports Republic company.