Hwang Hee-Chan is ‘ready’ for a big move this summer amid claims that the South Korean could move to Everton in the Premier League, Red Bull Salzburg coach Jesse Marsch has told Krone.TV.
Marsch has worked wonders since taking over at the Austrian giants, becoming the first American coach to lift a European trophy earlier this month despite losing two of his star players during the January transfer window.
Salzburg, six points clear of Rapid Vienna, at the top of the table, have continued to thrive since Erling Haaland and Takumi Minamino departed in January.
Whether the taurine-powered outfit still have wings once Dominik Szoboszlai and Hwang Hee-Chan bid farewell, however, remains to be seen.
Like the Hungarian playmaker, Chan is expected to take the next step up the ladder when the transfer window opens with the Liverpool Echo suggesting that he could join fellow Asian sensation Minamino on Merseyside.
After producing 14 goals and a staggering 20 assists in all competitions this season, Chan certainly appears to have outgrown the relatively small pond that is Austrian football.
“Chan has been here for many years and I think he has learned a lot and developed well. He is certainly ready for a large team,” Marsch.
“If (a departure) happens in summer, I will say: ‘Thank you Chan, you did very well here in Salzburg, good luck!’ But it can also happen in winter. I don’t know.
“Yes, it is clear for everyone and that (signing low and selling high) is one of the goals of the club. We don’t get young, talented players for ten years, but usually for two or three years and help them to take the next step in development.”
Crystal Palace and Arsenal were linked via the Mail in late-2019.
And with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang surely on his way out of the Emirates this summer, Chan could perhaps be tasked with replacing one of the most influential forwards in the game today.
He won’t come cheap, however. Salzburg director Christoph Freund has already said that he would not consider selling Chan for less than £34 million (Salzburger Nachrichten).
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