The stand off between Yang Hyun-jun and Gangwon over a transfer to Celtic appears to have been broken with the move back on course.
It seems that the financial aspects of a transfer were agreed during negotiations between the clubs but the K-League side wanted to delay the deal until January, possibly through a loan back.
Neither Celtic or Yang seemed keen on that aspect but it appears that there has been a change of attitude at Gangwon that could see the winger follow Oh Hyeon-gyu in swapping the K-League for Celtic.
This morning Korean website N News reported a breakthrough that suggests that Celtic’s third summer signing is on the way:
Gangwon Yang Hyeon-joon (21) has opened a way to transfer to Celtic (Scotland) in the summer transfer market. It is known that the Gangwon club has turned in a positive direction regarding Yang Hyun-joon’s summer transfer, and has also resolved the resentment with Yang Hyun-joon’s side related to the transfer.
According to Gangwon FC on the 5th, Gangwon CEO Kim Byeong-ji had a surprise meeting with Yang Hyun-joon at the Gangwon club clubhouse this afternoon. Yang Hyun-joon emphasized his desire to move to Celtic in the summer after the 20th round of the K-League 1 against Incheon on the 2nd, and said, “I want to meet with CEO Kim Byung-ji and come to a conclusion.”
Afterwards, whether or not the meeting between Yang Hyun-joon and CEO Kim was a matter of utmost concern, the meeting between the two took place on the 5th.
In the interview that day, CEO Kim is said to have comforted Yang Hyun-jun by conveying a positive message with the intention that he would completely reconsider the issue of Yang Hyun-jun going to Celtic.
The club has been sticking to the winter transfer stance after the end of the 2023 season for reasons such as the team’s circumstances. Yang Hyun-joon’s side has been insisting on a summer transfer. It is true that this has made the two sides seem to have an extreme conflict.
However, in the one-on-one interview that day, conflicts and misunderstandings disappeared like snow. It seems that a dramatic breakthrough was opened along with the resolution of the conflict. It is said that the possibility of Yang Hyun-joon’s summer transfer has increased as the Gangwon club announced that it would step down from the position of a winter transfer master and conduct a forward-looking review in line with Yang Hyun-joon’s will.
On this day, CEO Kim said to Yang Hyeon-jun, “Let’s forget the past. Let’s build a relationship that respects and trusts each other. Let’s solve the problem we are facing.” Following Yang Hyun-joon’s wish, CEO Kim said, “Don’t worry and do your best as a player in Gangwon,” and gave encouragement and a request to discuss again with the manager and club management team so that we can draw a good conclusion.
In the end, as CEO Kim showed an open-minded and embracing attitude, Yang Hyun-jun’s transfer to Celtic, which was controversial, remained a matter of time.
Last week Celtic signed winger Marco Tilio from Melbourne City in a deal rated at around £1.5m, the move for Yang has been valued at 2.5m euros in the Koean media.
CLICK HERE for Yang’s Transfermarkt profile
Gangwon FC CEO Kim Byung-ji met with Yang Hyun-jun, who was in conflict over the transfer to Celtic. Both sides decided to clear up the misunderstanding and discuss the transfer positively. (Sports Chosun) #kleague
— Korea Football News (@KORFootballNews) July 5, 2023
