Japan wants to pick volatile striker Yoshito Okubo as an overage player for the upcoming Beijing Olympics, Japan Football Association technical director Takeshi Ono said Thursday.
Ono said Japan would use only two of the three permitted overage slots, one of which has already been filled by Gamba Osaka midfielder Yasuhito Endo, keeping the third one open in case of injuries.
"We are doing our best to move the talks in a positive direction," Ono said of the negotiations with Okubo's club, Vissel Kobe.
Okubo was recently handed a three-match ban after being sent off for violent conduct in a World Cup qualifier away to Oman earlier this month.