Hoffenheim to sign Japanese national team defender Kōki Machida

27-year-old Kōki Machida is set to move to Hoffenheim on a permanent contract from Union Saint-Gilloise in Belgium.

Kōki Machida will be moving to TSG 1899 Hoffenheim from Belgian champions Royale Union Saint-Gilloise.

Fabrizio Romano reports that the two parties have agreed to a deal worth a total of €5 million, and will be signing the official agreement within the next week.

The 27-year-old centre-back from Ibaraki, Kantō, played 84 matches for Saint-Gilloise between 2022 and 2025, 19 of which were on loan from Kashima Antlers and the other 65 of which were on a permanent contract. Machida was one of the main defenders in the league-winning Saint-Gilloise team, playing in 34 matches and scoring once, as the club finished at the top of the table for the first time in 90 years.

He has also made 17 appearances for the Japanese national team, eleven of which came in their highly successful World Cup qualifying campaign where they were the first nation, outside of the hosts themselves, to qualify for the tournament.