The 26-year-old Okubo will leave Japan for Germany today to undergo a medical and sign his contract.

"It is a great pity, and certainly it's going to be a blow to us, to lose Okubo as he has led his team-mates mentally and technically with strong leadership as captain of the team," said Kobe president Sadayuki Adachi.

"However, he has a strong desire to play abroad and we've decided to respect that."

Kobe received an initial offer from Wolfsburg in November and reached an agreement on a transfer fee last last month.

The club refused to disclose the financial terms although Adachi revealed "the two sides made a compromise".

Adachi added: "I hope he will continue playing well in Germany and in Japan's 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign."

Okubo visited Germany for a few days last month to attend some Wolfsburg games and meet with club officials.

Okubo made his J.League debut for Cerezo Osaka in March 2001 before moving to Spanish club Mallorca in 2004.

He played 39 matches in two seasons in Spain before returning to Cerezo in 2006. He joined Vissel Kobe in the following year, playing 62 games and scoring 25 goals in two seasons.

Okubo has scored five goals in 33 appearances for Japan since his international debut in May 2003.

Kobe recently signed former Japan forward Kazuki Ganaha from Kawasaki Frontale as a replacement for Okubo