International striker Cho Kyu-sung (Jeonbuk Hyundai) has completed a personal agreement with English Championship (2nd Division) side Watford. If the remaining procedures, such as the agreement between the clubs, are completed, he will succeed in entering Europe.

An official familiar with domestic and international soccer news told ‘Footballist’, “Cho Kyu-sung has completed a personal agreement with Watford. If the agreement is finalized between the clubs, Cho will be able to play in England as he dreamed of.”

The transfer fee for Cho Kyu-sung is being talked about as high as €6 million (approx. KRW 8.4 billion) with options, but insiders believe the deal could be settled at €3 million (approx. KRW 4.2 billion). With the player’s willingness to play in Europe, all that remains is to negotiate between the clubs.

Cho Kyu-sung. Reporter Seo Hyung-kwon메이저놀이터

Cho Kyu-sung attracted the attention of the global soccer world when he scored two goals with his head against Ghana at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. After the tournament, he was linked to several European clubs, including Germany’s Mainz 05 and Scotland’s Celtic, during the winter transfer window in January. Minnesota United of the United States was also reported to have prepared a big offer.

However, after discussions with club officials, including technical director Park Ji-sung, Cho delayed his move and remained with Jeonbuk. Jeonbuk’s position was that if they rushed to challenge for the European stage, they might fall behind in the competition for a starting spot. There was also the risk of joining a new team in the middle of the season. He decided to wait until the summer transfer window, when he could start in preseason.

When the European league season ended, Cho Kyu-sung was again linked to multiple European clubs. Scottish giants Rangers and Turkic giants Galatasaray were mentioned, among others.

Cho Kyu-sung. Courtesy of the Korea Football Association

Cho Kyu-sung was the top scorer in the K League 1 last year with 17 goals. Despite his physicality of nearly 190 centimeters, he is fast and has a wide radius of action and link-up play. In addition to his skills, he is also very popular thanks to his good looks. This year, he had a rough start to the season, missing about two months due to injury. Since returning from injury in the middle of last month, he has been in great form. He scored three goals in three games in June.

Cho Kyu-sung is now part of the South Korean national team led by Jürgen Klinsmann. He came on as a substitute against Peru on June 16 and showed that he can still provide and fight. After playing against El Salvador on the 20th, transfer talks are expected to accelerate.

A Jeonbuk official said, “Currently, technical director Park Ji-sung is in charge of the transfer of Cho Kyu-sung. We have promised Cho Kyu-sung that if there is a good offer this summer, we will allow him to transfer. It is a mutual principle to accept it as long as it is not an outrageous condition,” he said.