[/floatl]Reuters: Japan's Nakata linked with Premier League return
Former Japan midfielder Hidetoshi Nakata has been linked with a return to professional soccer with England's Manchester City. Japan's Sankei Sports reported on Monday (Japanese) that the Premier League club were considering an offer for the 31-year-old, who abruptly quit the game after the 2006 World Cup. However, Nakata's management denied the former Roma and Bolton Wanderers player was planning a full-time return to the game...The Japanese daily quoted an unnamed City official as saying: "We heard he was playing in a game in Japan. If he is thinking of returning to the game we'd like to prepare an offer"...Nakata, who won an Italian Serie A title with Roma in 2001, stunned Japanese fans by retiring after the 2006 World Cup at the age of 29 following Japan's meek exit from the Germany finals. He will play for a Japanese side against a World 11 in an exhibition match in Yokohama this weekend.
