Celtic are trying to sign midfielder Kwon Hyeok-kyu and are allegedly waiting for an answer from his club Busan IPark.
That’s according to Chosun over in South Korea as they claim that Celtic have ‘sent an offer’ to sign Kwon.
Celtic are allegedly keen to pay a ‘fairly large transfer fee’ by K-League standards to sign Kwon in January.
The K-League transfer record stands at around €5.46million (£4.8million) for Ricardo Lopes leaving Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors for Shanghai SIPG.
The report adds that Celtic have been watching Kwon for a long time and sent ‘several offers’ to sign him in his formative years with Busan.
Celtic just aren’t giving up and are now waiting for an answer from Busan ahead of the January transfer window.
It’s added that Kwon himself is showing a willingness to leave for Europe, seemingly seeing Celtic as his big opportunity to leave the K-League.
Who is Celtic target Kwon?
Kwon has come up through the Busan ranks having first joined the club at Under-12 level.
Transfermarkt suggest that Kwon has only played 24 games for Busan but part of that is down to military service.
Kwon has already completed his mandatory military service in South Korea, and he was loaned to military side Gimcheon Sangmu.
A very tall holding midfielder at 6ft 3in tall, Kwon is also hailed for ‘high-level speed’ and ‘excellent technique’ by Chosun.
Busan are currently in South Korea’s second division, so the step up to Scotland’s top flight may feel like a big one.
This would continue Celtic’s focus on the Asian market having already signed Japanese talents Yuki Kobayashi, Reo Hatate, Daizen Maeda and Kyogo Furuhashi.
Kwon may be a raw yet promising talent that has popped onto Ange Postecoglou’s radar, with Celtic maybe seeing a long-term pay-off to signing the South Korean.
Add in that Celtic also want South Korea international striker Cho Gue-sung and Kwon may well feel that Parkhead is the right place for him.
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