Celtic are locked in talks with South Korea World Cup hero Cho Gue-sung as the Hoops fight with Greek big guns Olympiakos to land the hitman.
The striker’s representatives in his homeland yesterday denied suggestions Turkish powerhouses Galatasaray were in the hunt to land his services. But they did confirm Celtic were in discussions with K League Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC with a £2.2m deal currently on the table. Jeonbuk are hoping to bump up the fee with a bidding war but Celts are in pole position to snap up the front man who scored a double against Ghana at the World Cup in Qatar.
Gue-sung’s agent – speaking to media in Korea – said 'The talk about Galatasaray is false. We are negotiating with Celtic and we expect more offers.' Olympiakos are also in the frame though and are hoping to sway the striker with the prospect of hooking up with his Korean teammates Hwang Ui-Jo – who is on loan from Nottingham Forest – and Hwang In-Beom.
Celts have been big moves in the Far East market though with Tomoki Iwata this week becoming the latest to head to Scotland from Japan. The versatile midfielder arrived on a deal from Ange Postecoglou’s old club Yokohama F Marinos – with current boss Kevin Muscat giving his seal of approval.
Muscat – speaking to Aussie site Keepup – said: “This is only the beginning for Tomoki and he has a huge upside. It’s great to see him rewarded with this opportunity.
"He is someone that his teammates will admire as he always puts the team first. People will identify his remarkable physical presence in the form of strength, speed and endurance and his versatility as his biggest strengths.
“He is just an unbelievable athlete. And he is reliable, unfazed and disciplined. For me, his biggest attributes are desire and mentality.
Without this mentality, you don’t perform in different positions at the level he does. His desire to work relentlessly to improve is driven by his mentality.”
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