An update has emerged on Celtic's complicated pursuit of a deal to sign Hyun-jun Yang ahead of the 2023/24 Scottish Premiership campaign…
What's the latest on Hyun-jun Yang to Celtic?
According to Football Scotland, the Hoops have agreed a fee in the region of £2.1m with Gangwon to sign the South Korean right winger but the K League 1 side are now causing complications with their desire to keep hold of him for the rest of the year.
The report claims that they do not want to lose the exciting attacker before the end of their season as they are battling against relegation.
However, Brendan Rodgers wants to bring the 21-year-old ace to Parkhead to bolster his attacking options and the player himself is keen on making the switch immediately, instead of in January.
He is quoted as saying: “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.”
Would Hyun-jun Yang be a good signing for Celtic?
The right-footed wizard has endured a difficult year so far, with two goal contributions in 17 league appearances, but his form for Gangwon in 2022 suggests that there is a talented player there who could form an exciting partnership with Kyogo Furuhashi at Paradise.
Yang averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.02 across 33 K League 1 starts last year and chipped in with eight goals – a tally only three Celtic players bettered – along with five assists, whilst he also created six 'big chances' for his teammates in the final third.
The South Korean ace completed 1.2 dribbles per game with Jota (1.5) being the only Hoops player with more than ten league starts to manage more than that.
However, the Portuguese forward is in talks to sign for Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad for £25m, which suggests that Yang could come in as Rodgers' most aggressive dribbler – driving the team up the pitch by committing defenders with the ball at his feet.
Yang could use his dribbling skills to get himself into excellent positions down the flank before being able to create a 'big chance' or score for himself.
Kyogo could benefit from the 21-year-old magician's direct play and creativity as the Japan international has already proven himself to be a prolific scorer in Scotland.
The 28-year-old scored 27 times in the Scottish Premiership last season – 16 more than any other Hoops player – and found the back of the net on 12 occasions in 16 league starts during the 2021/22 campaign.
Therefore, Yang, who was hailed as "special" by journalist Nathan Sartain, and Kyogo could form a lethal partnership for Celtic next season as the £2.1m-rated wizard has the potential to score and assist goals from out wide, whilst providing the striker with the service he needs to continue to be prolific.
