Celtic appear to be edging closer to a move for Gangwon FC forward Yang Hyun-jun, with the situation “gradually being resolved”.
Are Celtic signing Yang Hyun-jun?
The Hoops and Brendan Rodgers have acted swiftly in the transfer market following the Northern Irishman’s return as manager at Parkhead, with midfielder Odin Thiago Holm and winger Marco Tilio joining from Valerenga and Melbourne City receptively on five-year deals.
Rodgers reportedly has a £30m transfer kitty to play with this summer, and that figure may have been boosted, with star man Jota since signing for Saudi Pro League champions Al-Ittihad in a deal worth £25m.
As a result, Celtic appear to be on the hunt for another wide forward, with Yang a player they have been heavily linked with. Reports suggested that a £2.1m fee had been agreed between the two clubs, however, as we know, a move is yet to materialise.
Yang has been keen to make the move to Scotland and even previously admitted he would give up his salary to force through a deal with the Scottish Premiership champions.
"Celtic is a good offer, so I want to go. I have to do my best as a member of Gangwon. But I think the desire to go will still be there.
"I want to go to Celtic this summer. I hope Gangwon will allow me to transfer. If the transfer fee isn’t enough, I’ll even give my salary."
The Daily Record shared an update on Celtic and Yang in the last 48 hours, saying that a dream Hoops transfer for the forward is still on. They believe a £2.1m deal is still being floated and shared more comments from the player himself, who said that “situation is gradually being resolved”, with Gangwon re-evaluating Yang’s value following a meeting.
"The stagnant situation is gradually being resolved.
"The club have re-evaluated the value through CEO Kim Byung-ji during the one-on-one meeting. Still, there seems to be some progress. I think I hurt the fans too much. I want to make the fans smile and go to Celtic."
Who is Yang Hyun-jun?
Yang is valued at a career-high €700,000 by Transfermarkt and has made 71 senior appearances for his current employers, scoring nine times and registering five assists in all competitions.
The South Korea U23 international has previously been labelled as Gangwon's up-and-coming star who is unpredictable and eye-catching by K League United columnist Nathan Sartain, so could be a shrewd addition to come in and attempt to fill the void left by Jota.
Primarily a right-winger who can also play on the left or through the middle, the 21-year-old was hailed as “excellent” and a “level above” in the media following a pre-season performance against Tottenham last year.
By the looks of things, he could be the next attacking Asian player to move to Parkhead, following in the footsteps of the likes of Kyogo Furuhashi, Daizen Maeda and Oh Hyeon-gyu, and it appears as if a deal in the region of £2.1m could be edging closer following the player’s recent comments.