After two years in Germany Kazuki Nagasawa will return to his home country. At the turn of the year the 24-year-old will transfer to J-League club Urawa Red Diamonds. Both clubs have agreed not to disclose the details of the transfer.

Nagasawa first arrived in Cologne in December of 2013 on a trial. In January of 2014 he was signed as the first ever Japanese player to go directly from a university to a foreign professional club. In the Rückrunde of the 2013/14 season, Nagasawa fought his way into the team. He was injured to begin the 2014/15 season, but ended up featuring in 10 Bundesliga matches to close the season. In the current campaign he only featured in the Bundesliga match against Hoffenheim as well as the Cup fixture against Bremen. Nagasawa made 24 competitive appearances for 1. FC Köln, and his contract was set to run until June 30th, 2018.

“Kazuki is a big talent and a great young lad, who we are reluctantly letting go. His transfer to Cologne was unorthodox to say the least, but a success for both sides. I believe his time in Cologne was a good thing for him,” said FC General Manager Jörg Schmadtke. “Kazuki is in an age in which playing time is the most important. That was a wish we could not currently grant him, so we granted his wish for a transfer. We will look forward to hearing about him further improving his capabilities and developing in Japan.”

Kazuki Nagasawa states: "Thank you for the two years. 1. FC Köln was my first experience as a professional and I think I was able to gain very valuable experience. I would like to thank the fans for always supporting me. I would also like to thank my teammates, trainers, and everybody at the club for their support through the years."