Kwon Hyuk-gyu (22), a defensive midfielder of Busan I-Park, a professional soccer team, is transferring to Celtic FC, a prestigious club in Scotland.
The Busan club announced on the 17th that it would conclude negotiations on the transfer of Kwon Hyuk-gyu to Celtic. The transfer fee is 1 million euros (approximately 1.4 billion won). It is reported that his contract is for 4 years with an option to extend it for 1 year (4 + 1 year).
Kwon Hyuk-gyu, a former youth player in Busan, became the first player to enter the European stage directly from Busan I-Park. Previously, Lee Dong-jun (26, Jeonbuk Hyundai) came from Busan youth and entered Europe (Hertha Berlin, Germany). However, Lee Dong-jun moved to Ulsan Hyundai and stepped on the European stage.
Kwon Hyuk-gyu, a defensive midfielder with a height of 190 cm, is evaluated as the ‘Rodri (Manchester City) of the K-League’ because of his good foot skills based on his excellent physique and quick feet. His main position is defensive midfielder, but he can play in both attacking and defensive positions as well as central midfield.
After going through Nakdong Middle School and Gaeseong High School, which are Busan I-Park youth teams, he made his professional debut by signing the first semi-professional contract (a contract to play K-League as a high school student) in 2019 for the first time in K League 2. He is recording 3 goals and 2 assists in 76 K-League matches, including 2 K-League 2 goals this season.
Celtic has watched Kwon Hyuk-gyu since the 2021-2022 season when he was playing for Gimcheon Sangmu. His first transfer offer last winter was rejected, but this time he made another offer and eventually agreed to a transfer with the Busan club. The Busan club said, “It is a time when we are fighting fiercely for promotion to the first division, but we have decided to go to Europe for the future of the player.”
Initially, the transfer of Kwon Hyuk-gyu was first requested by K-League 1 Ulsan Hyundai. As defensive midfielder Park Yong-woo (29) moved to Al-Ain in the United Arab Emirates, Ulsan pointed out Kwon Hyuk-kyu as a replacement. However, at the same time, a proposal came from Celtic, and the Busan club respected Kwon Hyuk-gyu’s opinion and agreed to go to Celtic. The fact that the Busan club has been steadily reinforcing midfield resources such as Lim Min-hyuk, Jeong Won-jin, Kim Sang-jun, and Lee Seung-gi since last winter seems to be the background for agreeing to the transfer of Kwon Hyuk-gyu during the season.
In an interview with the <Busan Ilbo>, Kwon Hyeok-gyu said, “I feel sorry for the club because he suddenly left in the middle of the season. However, going to Europe has been a dream he has nurtured since childhood. He had a chance last year, but he knew that it was not just greed,” he said, “I was determined not to be disappointed and to perform well. He said, “It seems that the results of his hard work and focus on the team have come.”
Kwon Hyuk-kyu also expressed his gratitude to the Busan club and fans. Kwon Hyuk-gyu said, “I received a lot of help from Busan I-Park since my youth days in middle school. He continues to meet good leaders, and he is always grateful to the team that has led him to grow.” He expressed his determination, saying, “I will work hard to become a player that the Busan club and juniors will be proud of.” “I will become the best player in Celtic and go to higher places such as the German Bundesliga or the English Premier League (EPL),” he said.
On the 16th, Kwon Hyuk-gyu had a farewell match against Seongnam FC in the Hana 1 Q K League 2 held at the Busan Asiad Main Stadium. Busan lost 2-3 to Seongnam, but after the game Kwon Hyuk-kyu said goodbye to the fans in the stands. He told the fans, “I wanted to win the last game, but I’m sorry that it didn’t work out well.”토토사이트주소
As the transfer of Kwon Hyuk-gyu was decided, two young football prospects from Busan, along with Gangwon FC’s Yang Hyeon-joon (21), will wear Celtic uniforms at once in the transfer market this summer. The Gangwon club officially confirmed Yang Hyun-joon’s transfer to Celtic through a YouTube press conference on the 15th. Yang Hyun-joon, born in 2002, joined Gangwon in 2021 after graduating from Busan Information High School and won the ‘K League 1 Young Player Award’ by recording 8 goals and 4 assists in 36 games last year. He is a wide striker and his breakthrough and shooting skills are excellent. Yang’s transfer fee is estimated to be around 2.5 million euros (approximately 3.6 billion won).
If there are no major variables in the medical test, etc., the transfer of Kwon Hyuk-gyu and Yang Hyun-jun to Celtic will be confirmed sooner or later. If that happens, in the 2023-2024 season, it is expected that we will be able to see the scene of the Korean ‘airborne triangle’ with Oh Hyun-gyu in the Scottish League.