'South Korea national team forward' Oh Hyeon-gyu (25, KRC Genk) is leaving Belgium and flying to Türkiye. He is about to put on the jersey of Türkiye's prestigious club Beşiktaş.
Bein Sports Türkiye reported on the 3rd (Korean time), "Beşiktaş plans to bring Oh Hyeon-gyu to Istanbul this evening. Our Typhoon Akaya reporter provided information about Beşiktaş," it said.
Beşiktaş is preparing to sign Oh Hyeon-gyu along with Beninese midfielder Junior Olaitan (Göztepe). The outlet said, "Beşiktaş will finalize the signings of the two players! An agreement has been reached!" adding, "According to our reporter Akaya, Beşiktaş will sign Oh Hyeon-gyu from Genk. The Korean striker Oh Hyeon-gyu has already reached personal terms."
It appears only the official announcements remain for both Oh Hyeon-gyu and Olaitan. Bein Sports added, "Beşiktaş has placed Benin national team midfielder Olaitan on its acquisition list as well. An agreement has been reached with the player and club negotiations are ongoing. Reporter Akaya said both players could arrive in Istanbul today."
Beşiktaş is trying to complete the signing of Oh Hyeon-gyu quickly. Recently many Turkish outlets and journalists have reported in unison that Beşiktaş is close to signing Oh Hyeon-gyu.
Beşiktaş initially offered a transfer fee of 12 million euros (about 20.5 billion won) but was rejected. However, not giving up there, it is reported the club increased the offer to a total of 15 million euros (about 25.6 billion won) including options and obtained Genk's approval.
Following that, news came that Oh Hyeon-gyu would quickly fly to Beşiktaş. Prominent Turkish journalist Ertan Şıkgün reported breaking news on social media, "Beşiktaş is arranging the flight schedule for their new signing Oh Hyeon-gyu!"
This all but confirms Oh Hyeon-gyu's move to Beşiktaş. Şıkgün had earlier posted an exclusive the same day, "Beşiktaş has signed Genk's Oh Hyeon-gyu!" and attracted attention by posting several Taegeukgi emojis. It now appears the transfer is truly in its final stages.
Beşiktaş appears to have chosen Oh Hyeon-gyu as its starting striker. In this winter transfer window, Tammy Abraham left for Aston Villa, creating a vacancy up front, and Beşiktaş plans to fill it with Oh Hyeon-gyu, whom they have watched for a long time. A transfer fee of 15 million euros is also a considerable amount in the Turkish league.
Pirat Günayer of TRT Spor said, "Oh Hyeon-gyu is coming to Beşiktaş. He has 10 goals in 32 appearances this season. Although he does not boast a flashy career, he is skilled and has potential. He is a good player. I hope he performs well," expressing high hopes for the signing.
Beşiktaş is a representative Turkish club that boasts 16 Süper Lig titles. However, this season the club has slipped to fifth in the league and is struggling. A second-half rebound is needed along with Oh Hyeon-gyu.
For Oh Hyeon-gyu, this could be a good turning point in his career. Recently Thorsten Fink was sacked and Nicky Hayen was appointed, after which Oh Hyeon-gyu's playing time sharply decreased.
Belgian outlet HLN noted, "The transfer appears to be the best solution for everyone. Genk had pinned all hopes on Oh Hyeon-gyu after Tolu Arokodare left for Wolverhampton, but after a big move to Stuttgart collapsed, the Korean national team forward never fully regained his best form."
Of course, Oh Hyeon-gyu showed he deserved a starting striker role by scoring 10 goals across all competitions this season. Although he lost ground to younger players after the coaching change, some of that can be interpreted as movement in preparation for a transfer.
In fact, Oh Hyeon-gyu was linked not only with Beşiktaş but also with Premier League clubs Fulham, Crystal Palace and Leeds United. In particular, Fulham reportedly seriously considered Oh Hyeon-gyu as their second-choice target. But Fulham waited until the transfer window closed focusing only on Riquadro Peppi (PSV Eindhoven), and when PSV failed to find a replacement everything fell through.
Now Oh Hyeon-gyu is expected to play for Beşiktaş and continue nurturing his dream of returning to a big league. He was close to a move to Stuttgart in the German Bundesliga last summer. However, Stuttgart suddenly canceled the signing just before the transfer deadline, citing concerns about his knee during a medical.
[Photos] ZPOR, Sport Digitale, Bein Sports, miracxz, Genk social media.
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