Hiroki Ito is moving from Japanese second-division club Jubilo Iwata to join VfB, where he will play for the U21 team. The season in Japan is still ongoing, and Ito has so far featured in 18 of 19 matches for his club who sit second in the table, scoring two goals and adding an assist in the process.
The 22-year-old central defender has made a total of 55 second-division appearances in Japan (four goals), three more in the top flight as well as winning six U20 and three U21 caps for Japan. He will move to VfB at the start of July and begin pre-season with the U21s.
“Hiroki has the technique and the physique to make the move into the first-team squad in the medium term," said sporting director Sven Mislintat. “First of all, he will join the U21s and gradually get used to European football. We’re convinced, though, that Hiroki has the right mentality to settle in very quickly and we are really looking forward to working with him.”