Cho Gue-sung will set Celtic back just a paltry £2.2m if they push ahead to land the South Korean next month, as reports in the player's homeland claim two transfer rivals have dropped out of the chase.
Gue-sung has achieved household name status after his performances in Qatar captured his nation's attention. He became the first South Korean ever to hit a World Cup brace and after a Vogue magazine cover and a reality TV appearance, his Instagram following has shot up to more than 3million.
He's the closest thing Asian football has to a David Beckham figure with his movie star good looks as central to his fame as his goalscoring prowess and he's been heavily linked with bringing both of those qualities to Glasgow as a contingency plan, or replacement, for Giorgos Giakoumakis, who Record Sport understands is at an impasse over contract talks at Parkhead.
Giakoumakis has 25 goals in 53 appearances under Ange Postecoglou and the Hoops will be hoping to see a sizeable profit on the £2m they paid for him back in the summer of 2021. And according to reports in South Korea, Gue-sung would set them back a similar outlay to that, with Jeonbuk Hyundai demanding a reasonable £2.2m for his services.
It's believed Rennes and Fenerbahce are the two main contenders but other reports claim both Borussia Dortmund and Ferencvaros have dropped their interest in Gue-sung, leaving a three-horse race for his services. It's widely believed Celtic are leading the chase but reports in the Czech Republic say they are planning for all eventualities, with Ladislav Almasi back on the agenda if they fail to land Gue-sung.
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