An update has emerged on Celtic and their pursuit of further additions to the playing squad ahead of the 2023/24 Scottish Premiership campaign…
What's the latest Celtic transfer news?
According to Sport Chosun, the Hoops have submitted an offer to sign Busan defensive midfielder Hyeok-kyu Kwon before the end of the summer transfer window.
The report claims that their proposal is worth more than the bid they made for the 22-year-old's services in January and that the South Korean outfit are 'positively' reviewing it at this moment in time.
It states that there is a 'good chance' that the transfer will go through as the Scottish giants now close in on his signature, whilst it adds that they are also set to sign Gangwon forward Hyun-jun Yang after lengthy talks to secure his services.
Korean journalist Jason Lee has added that Celtic's offer for Kwon is in the region of €1m (£860k), with a deal "expected" to be completed between the two sides.
What is Hyeok-kyu Kwon's style of play?
The South Korea U23 international is a defensive-minded midfield player who is reliable in possession and able to win the ball back for his team frequently throughout matches.
Kwon could come in and become Brendan Rodgers' next Wilfred Ndidi, who was linked with a move to Parkhead earlier this summer, after his successful time with the Nigerian enforcer at Leicester.
Last season, the 26-year-old battler averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.75 across 27 Premier League outings. He showcased his defensive qualities in the middle of the park with 3.7 tackles and interceptions per match for the Foxes, to go along with 4.1 duels won per clash.
No Leicester player with at least five league appearances made more interventions per game, which suggests that Ndidi was the main disruptor to cut out opposition attacks for Rodgers at The King Power.
Kwon could now arrive at Celtic and fulfil the same role for the Northern Irishman if he is capable of translating his form for Busan so far this year over to Scottish football in the coming months.
In 2023, the impressive enforcer has averaged a K League 2 Sofascore rating of 6.89 to go along with 3.4 tackles and interceptions per match for his side, whilst he has also won 4.1 duels per outing.
Meanwhile, no Hoops midfielder produced more than 2.2 tackles and interceptions combined per clash, which suggests that the Busan star could provide an upgrade on what the manager currently has to work with in terms of the holding midfield position.
Kwon, who the aforementioned Lee hailed as a "promising" talent who could be a "sneaky good" signing for Celtic, also completed 86% of his passes – a higher percentage than Matt O'Riley, Aaron Mooy, and Reo Hatate managed in the Premiership last term.
This suggests that the South Korean maestro could provide a calming presence in midfield with his ability to be reliable in possession whilst also being able to constantly cut out opposition attacks, in the same way that Ndidi did for Rodgers at Leicester.
Therefore, Kwon could be the manager's next version of the Nigeria international, who completed 84% of his attempted passes last season, at Parkhead next term.
