Gangwon FC director Kim Tae-joo has confirmed that Celtic have made a formal bid for winger Yang Hyun-jun.

However, while the 21-year-old is keen on making the switch to Europe, Kim says that Gangwon are not willing to let the player leave this summer, as he is needed for first-team duties:

“It is true that Celtic has received a scouting offer for Yang Hyun-Jun. No, we will not transfer Yang Hyun-Jun this summer. I want to allow Celtic transfer to help the player develop. The transfer fee is not a big problem. However, the priority is to consider the current team situation.”

“We also conveyed the position that we would release Yang Hyun-jun to the Celtic for six months and then send him to the winter, but Celtic is sticking to the position of wanting to recruit Yang Hyun-Jun this summer. The player also revealed to the club that he wanted to go to Europe.”

The K League season runs between February and October, and Gangwon are in the middle of a relegation battle, so they are keen to keep Yang on loan until next January. At the moment, it seems the two sides are at an impasse as the Hoops want the player now.

What do we know about Yang?

The winger made his debut for Gangwon in May 2021 against FC Seoul. He has since gone on to make 67 appearances for the K League 1 side, scoring nine goals and providing five assists in all competitions.

Yang has not been handed his first cap by South Korea at senior level yet, but he was called up last summer for the Under 23 Asian Cup. He came on as a last-minute substitute in the 1-0 win over Thailand in the group stages and his first start came a few days later in the quarter-final tie against Japan. Unfortunately, his team lost 3-0 and were knocked out of the tournament.