- EXCLUSIVE from Graeme Bailey
Birmingham City are on the verge of signing Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors midfielder Paik Seung-ho with Tony Mowbray finally landing his man.
HITC understands that Birmingham City are set to win the race to South Korean international Paik Seung-ho.
The former Barcelona B midfielder is currently with Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in his native South Korea but now he is set for a move to England.
HITC understands that Tony Mowbray tried to sign Paik whilst managing Sunderland last summer and now he has returned to seal a deal.
It is understood that Birmingham have beaten off rival interest from across Europe to land Paik and a deal is now imminent.
Who is Birmingham City target Paik Seung-ho?
Paik hails from Seoul in South Korea and caught the eye whilst playing for the Seoul Daedong Elementary School, earning a spot in the Suwon Samsung Bluewings ranks.
Paik wasn’t there for long though as he earned a stunning move to Barcelona at the age of just 13, but that’s where things started to go wrong.
The midfielder was one of a host of players banned from playing due to Barcelona breaching transfer regulations, meaning he wasn’t allowed to play for Barca for three years.
That situation understandably set Paik back and he managed just two appearances for Barcelona B before joining Peralada – the then-reserve team of Girona – in 2017.
Paik stepped up to the Girona first team for just six games before leaving for German side Darmstadt in 2019, where he became a first-team regular with 45 appearances.
The 26-year-old still decided to return to South Korea in 2021 though, joining Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors.
Paik has racked up 106 appearances for Jeonbuk, bagging 11 goals and eight assists along the way.
Primarily a central midfield player who can also sit in front of defence, Paik made headlines in 2022 by scoring a stunning goal against Brazil at the World Cup in Qatar.
Now primed for a move to Birmingham, it seems clear that Mowbray is a big fan of Paik and he will be hopeful of a big impact in English football.
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