The top South Korean-born scorer in the K League 1 this season will soon switch clubs. Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors said Monday they are close to acquiring Suwon FC forward Lee Seung-woo. A club official said the deal will be formally announced once Lee passes his physical. Lee, 26, announced the pending transfer himself Sunday following Suwon's 4-1 win over Incheon United, by grabbing a megaphone and addressing Suwon fans in the away supporters section at Incheon Football Stadium in Incheon, just west of Seoul. Lee rounded out Suwon's scoring to reach 10 goals for the season, putting him in third place in the scoring race behind Stanislav Iljutcenko of FC Seoul (12) and Stefan Mugosa of Incheon (11). Lee, the Player of the Month for May, later told reporters that he didn't want Suwon fans to find out about his transfer in the media. Since the start of the 2022 season, Lee has scored 34 goals -- the second-most in the league behind Joo Min-kyu of Ulsan HD FC with 42. Lee is a former FC Barcelona youth player who bounced around Europe without appearing for Barca's A team. After spending time in Italy, Belgium and Portugal, Lee signed for his hometown club, Suwon FC, in December 2021. Lee scored a team-high 14 goals in 2022, tied for the second-highest total in the league. He once again led his club in goals with 10 in 2023. Lee has already matched that total this year, with Suwon having spent the most of the season in the top five. Jeonbuk, seeking a boost to their offense as they try to move out of the relegation zone, went after the big fish during the summer transfer window. Lee said meeting with South Korean football icon Park Ji-sung, technical director for Jeonbuk, helped seal the deal with the nine-time K League champions. Jeonbuk defeated two-time defending champions Ulsan 2-0 on Saturday to climb to 10th place at 23 points, now two behind Incheon for ninth. In the 12-team K League 1, the last-place club will face direct relegation to the K League 2 for the following season. Teams ranked 10th and 11th at the end of the 38-match campaign must survive playoffs against K League 2 opponents to stay in the top league. Source: Yonhap News Agency
Sunday, September 08, 2024