Yahoo Sports Former Wolves midfielder asks Standard Liege to allow him transfer back to Japan
According to Het Nieuwsblad, Standard Liege could be set to lose a key player. 28-year-old midfielder Hayao Kawabe has asked the Belgian side to allow him to return to Japan and re-join Sanfrecce Hiroshima. It appears that Standard have accepted Kawabe’s request, with negotiations ongoing around a transfer that could see the Belgian side receive around €3m. This would double the €1.5m that the side spent last summer to sign the midfielder from Wolves. Kawabe had signed a contract with Standard till 2027. With the club in a precarious position, they can ill afford to miss out on making money from players, even if the midfielder is one of the best players in the squad.
Despite being bought by Wolves, Kawabe never made an appearance for the side in the Premier League. Instead, he was immediately sent back to Grasshoppers on loan after the €600k transfer in January of 2022. In two seasons in Switzerland the midfielder played 71 games, scoring 16 goals and grabbing 14 assists. For Standard he had a great season with seven goals and nine assists in 37 games. He will return to Sanfrecce, where he was before moving to Europe. He will hope to add to the 151 appearances he made for the club, scoring nine goals and grabbing 15 assists.
