South Korean star Yang Hyun-jun is pushing to leave Gangwon for Celtic, with his agents left furious by the club's U-turn on their "promise" to let him leave.
Record Sport revealed on Thursday night that Brendan Rodgers is keeping a keen eye on the South Korean market. As well as Yang, the Parkhhead club are scouting Gwangju pair Eom Ji-sung and Jeong Ho-yeon in the K-League and hoping to make further use of the foothold they established in the Asian market under Ange Postecoglou. But it's Yang who appears to be the furthest along at this stage.
Celtic's interest in Yang is no secret in his homeland but he is a key player for Gangwon and club director Kim Tae-joo said earlier this week he will not be sold in the middle of the K-League season, which concludes in October, as they battle relegation. But a report from Sports Chosun claims Yang has told Gangwon he wants to leave, feeling they have gone back on their promise to let him go if a suitable offer from Europe arrives.
And a bombshell statement from his representatives in the South Korean media appears to back that up. It's claimed that, after Gangwon rejected an offer from MLS, Yang was promised any offer from Europe would be accepted. It goes further, revealing Celtic's bid is in the same ballpark as the £2.5m paid for Hyeongyu Oh in January.
A spokesman is quoted as saying: "Yang Hyun-Jun's dream is to play in Europe. It's a dream he's had since he started his career as a player. A golden opportunity has arrived under very good conditions for him and the club. So he is extremely frustrated the offer has been rejected.
"In the past, when an offer came from Minnesota United, the club's former CEO Lee Young-pyo promised him he would go to Europe when the next offer came in. It would be good for the player and Korean football for him to go to Europe. Yang believed those words and returned to his club and worked harder than ever.
"So he is hurt, the club have gone back on their word. The offer from Celtic is in the same bracket as what they paid for Oh Hyeon-gyu and is more than Gangwon's combined profits over the past ten years. And it also had a sell-on clause. Yang is extremely grateful to everyone at Gangwon. They are the club that made him and he understands their predicament. However, he wants to play in Europe."
