By Mark Heys
August 10 2005

Bolton Wanderers are this morning being linked with a cut price move for Fiorentina's Japanese international midfielder Hidetoshi Nakata. The 28-year old seems highly likely to leave his long association in Italian football during the Autumn transfer window and reports this morning coming from Japan claim that Nakata is set to be heading for England.

It is without doubt that Nakata is the best export to come from Japan having moved to European football in 1998. He has since played for Perugia, AS Roma, Parma and Bologna over the last seven years.

Nakata is set to have the last two years of his contract cancelled by cash-strapped Fiorentina to enable him make the move elsewhere. If signed by Bolton he will be the latest in a long line of high profile signings made by Wanderers manager Sam Allardyce.

If the move goes ahead then Nakata will not be the first Japanese player to play for Bolton. In 2001 the loan signing of Cerezo Osaka striker Akinori Nishizawa created waves in Japan, but unfortunately it turned out to be a deal which failed to work out.

Charlton Athletic are beleived to be rivalling Bolton for the signature of Nakata, but as yet, nothing official has been revealed.