Celtic are now close to finalising the transfer of Suwon Samsung Bluewings star Oh Hyeon-Gyu. He is set to replace Giorgos Giakoumakis under coach Ange Postecoglou at Parkhead.
That is according to The Scottish Sun, which reports Celtic have offered to pay Hyeon-Gyu 10 times his salary with Suwon. Postecoglou has targeted a transfer for the 21-year-old as Giakoumakis is due to depart. Urawa Red Diamonds remain the favourites for his services.
Parkhead chiefs hope to make Hyeon-Gyu a Celtic forward this January in a £2.5m transfer from Suwon. His K-League outfit have also now given the one-cap South Korea striker their permission to discuss personal terms. He had urged the club to let him seal a dream move.
Suwon boss Lee Byung-Keun admitted defeat in his bid to keep Hyeon-Gyu after the club’s academy product pleaded for a transfer to Celtic. He was desperate for the Cheong-Baek-Jeok’s blessing to avoid Postecoglou moving on to other targets to plug Giakoumakis’ void.
Postecoglou now hopes to conclude all negotiations for Celtic’s in-bound transfer activity quickly. He admitted generally, via The Scottish Sun: “We’re progressing on all fronts and we expect a conclusion either way to all our business in the next few days.”
Celtic made Hyeon-Gyu a mega contract offer for his transfer from Suwon
Celtic plan to have Hyeon-Gyu undergo a medical in the coming days should negotiations with Suwon remain on track. Further, a Cheong-Baek-Jeok spokesperson is also quoted by The Scottish Sun as confirming the striker’s desire to leave after he received a mega offer.
They said: “Celtic offered 10 times the salary Oh Hyeon-Gyu would receive in the K-League this season. It is a level that is difficult for us to afford.”
Hyeon-Gyu scored 14 goals and laid on two assists during the 2022 season in South Korea across all competitions. His haul led the Namyangju, Gyeonggi-born gem to make his South Korea debut ahead of the World Cup. But he would not appear in a single squad in Qatar.
The 6ft marksman has also received caps at Under-17 and U23 levels, and been involved in U18 and U19 sides. But it was only last year that Hyeon-Gyu burst through at the club level with each of his senior goals. The striker had debuted for Suwon’s first-team back in 2019.
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