Korean forward Lee Seung-ryul has reportedly been drawing interest from two Bundesliga clubs. Despite the few days left in the transfer window, recently promoted Kaiserslautern and an unnamed mid-table club have been expressing strong interest in the international forward. The two German clubs are to have thought highly of the forward’s potential and development.
Last season, 1. FC Kaiserslautern won the 2. Bundesliga season and won promotion to the top flight. The club was founded in 1900 and has found success in the past. In the 1997~98 season, German national team captain Michael Ballack led the club to a league victory. However, in the 2006~07 season the club was relegated to the second division and has returned to the top fight for the first time in five seasons.
Lee Seung-ryul’s management company has confirmed interest from these two clubs but also stated that because the K-League is in mid-season, a transfer cannot be guaranteed.
The young forward was part of the Korean national team at the 2010 World Cup that reached the Round of 16 at South Africa. Despite being one of the youngest players, he saw playing time when he came on as a substitute for AS Monaco striker Park Chu-young against Greece. The aforementioned clubs were interested in Lee Seung-ryul before the World Cup even started. They were scouting him in the friendly matches building up to the World Cup. Also, interest in Asian players were widened with North Korean striker Jong Tae-se’s impressive start with VfL Bochum.
Lee Seung-ryul is currently contracted to FC Seoul until 2013. However, this contract length will not fade interest. FC Seoul has generally been very supportive of their young players transferring to Europe. Park Chu-young (AS Monaco), Lee Chung-yong (Bolton) and Ki Sung-yong (Celtic) all transferred out during the middle of the K-League season. The biggest obstacle will be the time left in the transfer window. With the transfer window closing at the end of this month, a move during the winter is also possible.
