Cho Kyu-seong (26, Jeonbuk Hyundai), who emerged as a star at the Qatar World Cup last year, received a love call from Germany’s Bundesliga Mainz 05.
The British Evening Standard said on the 7th, “Korean national soccer team striker Cho Kyu-seong will choose Mainz over Celtic (Scotland) in the January transfer window. “The expected transfer fee is 2.5 million pounds (3.8 billion won), and Jeonbuk technical director Park Ji-seong, who played for Manchester United, is negotiating in London, England. Cho Kyu-seong wants to complete the transfer as soon as possible before the 21st of this month, when the second half of the Bundesliga season resumes.”
Cho Kyu-sung scored two goals with just a header in three minutes in the second match against Ghana in the group stage of the Qatar World Cup last year. Social media Instagram followers surged to 2.95 million. Many European teams are interested in him. He also expressed his desire to advance to Europe. In Mainz, Lee Jae-seong (31), a teammate of the national team, is playing.
A German media kicker also said on the 8th, “Mainz only scored 19 goals this season (in 15 games). Karim Onisiwo and Marcus Ingvartsen are the team’s top goalscorers with four goals. A solution must be found in the winter transfer market. The most likely candidate is Korea’s World Cup star Cho Kyu-sung.” However, Kicker added, “Mainz was definitely interested in signing Cho Kyu-sung, but after reviewing the conditions related to the funding, interest quickly cooled.” It raised the possibility of a breakdown due to Mainz’s financial situation and high transfer fee.
An official from Cho Kyu-seong’s side said, “I recently received an offer from Mainz’s Lee Jae-seong. However, it did not meet the conditions Jeonbuk wanted. We are waiting for an official offer with better conditions,” he said. “We are talking with not only Mainz, but also other German teams and teams from two other countries.” Regarding the report that ‘Mainz’s interest has cooled’, the official said, “I have not heard.” It is known that European teams are considering paying the transfer fee in installments as European teams do not have enough budget in the winter transfer market.
On the night of the 8th Korean time, Sky Sports in the UK reported that “Scottish Celtic offered 3 million pounds (4.57 billion won) for the scout of Cho Kyu-sung.” Park Ji-seong, technical director of Jeonbuk, whom we met at a sponsoring event for the JS Foundation on the 29th of last month, said, “Apart from being a Jeonbuk player, I am thinking about which direction a junior player will advance in has a higher chance of success, 토토 and I will talk with the player. In the end, I think Cho Kyu-sung will go to Europe. However, the most important issue is when and which team to go to.”
Lee Kang-in (22, Mallorca), who helped Cho Kyu-sung’s header in the World Cup against Ghana with an accurate cross like a courier, is also attracting attention from English Premier League teams.
The Birmingham Mail, a British media, reported on the 8th that “Aston Villa manager Unai Emery is eager to join Lee Kang-in through the January transfer market.” Coach Emery had faced Kang-in Lee while coaching Spain’s Villarreal. Previously, reporter Mateo Moreto of Relevo, Spain, also said, “There is a 90% chance Lee Kang-in will leave Mallorca. Premier League and Dutch teams show interest in Lee Kang-in. One of them is Aston Villa.”
Meanwhile, on the 8th, against Real Valladolid in Spanish La Liga, Lee Kang-in set the stage for a 1-0 winning goal with a sharp free kick in extra time in the second half. Right before Abdon Pratz’s header, the ball grazed Pablo Maffeo and Lee Kang-in’s assist record was blown away.
Hwang Hee-chan (27) of Wolverhampton, England, scored the equalizer and the first goal of the season in the 21st minute of the second half against Liverpool in the FA Cup round of 64 on the 8th. Thanks to Hwang Hee-chan’s goal, Wolverhampton drew 2-2 with Liverpool.