Red Star Signs Kim, 18, Who Turned Down City and Barca
Eighteen-year-old midfielder Ye Gon Kim is leaving Jeonbuk for Red Star, the club keeps a fifth of his next transfer fee, and the player turned down Manchester City and Barcelona.
On Saturday evening, the moment the referee at the stadium in Jeonju raised his arms after Jeonbuk beat Ulsan 1-0, the players formed a guard of honor. Through it walked eighteen-year-old Ye Gon Kim, who had just played his last match for the club that raised him, on the eve of the biggest transfer of his career, a move to Red Star Belgrade. Media outlets spell his name in different ways, Ye Gon Kim, Ye Geon Kim, or Kim Ye Gun, but they all mean the same player.
Kim recently turned 18 and is regarded in South Korea as one of the most talented attacking midfielders of his generation, able to cover the wing positions when needed. He is expected to arrive in Belgrade from Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in the coming days for a medical and to sign his contract.
The player himself described his farewell emotions in comments carried by Telegraf:
“I’m excited and nervous, but I’m facing this challenge with a lot of confidence. I’m sorry to be leaving the club, I wanted to play for Jeonbuk and learn from my older teammates. But the European challenge was too important, I’ve been dreaming about it since I was a child.”
A line that sounds like it came from a more experienced player, but shows how long Europe had been the goal.
Until recently, the move had mostly been talked about in hints. Hotsport reported on August 21 that the deal was “practically done” but gave no figure, and Telegraf wrote the next day only that Kim had been seen off from Jeonbuk. Only now, according to South Korean journalist Han Jun of Football-Asian.com, as carried by Sportklub, are the terms of the deal known: a fee of about $500,000, a five-year contract running through 2031, and a clause under which Jeonbuk keeps 25 percent of the value of Kim’s next transfer.
More interesting than the figure is why the teenager turned down bigger clubs. According to the same source, Manchester City, Barcelona and Lisbon’s Sporting had all made inquiries, but Kim chose Belgrade because Red Star’s technical director Marko Marin personally promised him a place in the first team, instead of years waiting in the youth setup or out on loan. Han Jun also described the deal for Hotsport:
“The transfer fee between the clubs and the personal terms are 100 percent agreed. Kim will fly to Belgrade in the coming days to complete his medical tests and sign the contract.”
If the contract is indeed signed, Kim becomes the third South Korean footballer in Red Star’s recent history, after Hwang In-bom and Sol. Hwang was a genuine hit at Rajko Mitic Stadium before leaving for Feyenoord, and Kim plays the same position, so the comparisons will not stop after his first training session. Red Star have gone back to South Korean players more than once in recent seasons, and this time it was Marin who personally saw the interest through, according to South Korean media, presenting the club’s project to the young midfielder himself before he made his decision.
Telegraf also reports the arrival of Japanese defender Yuta Nakayama, meaning Marin’s setup could add two Asian players in the same week before the transfer window closes. For now only the name is known, with no details yet on the club he is coming from or any possible fee.
Kim is expected to undergo his medical and sign in the coming days. Only his first training session in the red and white jersey will show whether Marin judged the youngster correctly, or whether the club paid half a million dollars for a player who will spend his time on the bench.
