Gangwon FC winger Yang Hyun-Jun is not changing his mind regarding a summer move to Celtic as he hopes to secure a Scottish Premiership switch sooner rather than later.
With the South Korean league running from February to the autumn – rather than from August to May – Celtic were always likely to run into this particular problem in pursuit of 21-year-old Yang Hyun-Jun.
The Premiership champions want Yang through the door now. Gangwon, however, would prefer to wait until January, when the K-League is in the midst of pre-season.
Hence the frustration from Yang’s camp. The twinkle-toed winger hopes to seal a move to Celtic now, rather than in six months’ time. But Gangwon are still refusing to budge as they look to bounce back from a dismal start to the current campaign.
Yang Hyun-Jun wants Celtic move
“The team is in a difficult situation,” Yang tells Kado. “But I have a dream to challenge (myself in) Europe.
“I told the club about (my desire to join Celtic immediately). It is easier to adapt to the new season when the team is in the summer transfer market.”
Gangwon FC director Kim-Tae Joo confirmed last week that Celtic had made their interest known, before insisting that Yang would not be going anywhere as long as his current employers are stuck in a relegation battle.
And it is these ‘broken promises’ which are threatening to make things a little messy behind the scenes.
“When an offer came from the United States last year, my goal was to move to Europe. So I stayed in Gangwon. And the club said they would actively help if an offer came from Europe,” Yang adds.
“I will not change my mind about moving to Europe. But even if I cannot move in the summer, I have to do my best in Gangwon. That’s being a professional.”
Yang scored eight times and set up four more in 2022. It remains to be seen whether his hopes of joining fellow South Korean Oh-Hyeon Gyu at Celtic are affected by the impending arrival of fellow wideman Marco Tilio from Australian champions Melbourne City FC (Daily Mail).
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