Celtic have reportedly submitted a £1.7 million bid for Yang Hyun-Jun as the Gangwon FC winger holds out for a ‘dream’ move to the Scottish Premiership champions.
Now, with Marco Tilio on the verge of becoming Brendan Rodgers’ second signing since returning to Parkhead, what impact the Australian’s arrival will have on Yang Hyun-Jun’s hopes of joining him in Glasgow remain to be seen.
Did Celtic move for Tilio after giving up on Yang? Is the former an alternative to the latter? Or is the plan to bring in both players, even if Tilio and Yang share a few key attributes in common? Highly-technical, highly-flexible wide forwards capable of thriving on either flank.
Celtic, according to the Scottish Sun, hope to finalise the signing of Tilio this week. Personal terms have been agreed, as has a transfer fee with A-League champions Melbourne City.
With Yang, however, it’s fair to say things are not quite so straightforward.
Celtic move a ‘dream’ for Yang Hyun-Jun
Gangwon FC’s sporting director has already confirmed Celtic’s interest in the 21-year-old. But with the K-League season running throughout the summer and into the autumn – and with Gangwon toiling near the bottom after a poor start to the new campaign – the South Korean outfit have made it clear that they have no plans to let Yang go until the end of the calendar year.
That is despite a £1.7 million offer from Celtic. A fee which, as Korean publication Sports Donga explain, is an ‘attractive’ one from Gangwon’s perspective. Yang, who scored eight goals and set up four more during the 2022 campaign, would become the club’s most expensive-ever export.
Yang is not going to throw his toys out of the pram – remaining ‘professional’ until the end – but nor is he missing the opportunity to explain just how determined he is to seize an opportunity to make a name for himself in the West.
“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.”
“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.”
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