A significant update has emerged on Celtic's attempts to land their fourth fresh addition of the summer transfer window...
What's the latest Celtic transfer news?
According to Sky Sports journalist Anthony Joseph, South Korea U22 international Hyeok-kyu Kwon has agreed personal terms on a long-term contract with the Scottish giants ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.
The reporter has claimed that the Hoops are poised to pay a fee within the region of £850k to sign the defensive midfielder from Busan IPark.
He further stated that Kwon and Hyun-jun Yang, who has joined from K League 1 side Gangwon, will both link up with the squad during the pre-season tour of Japan.
Alongside Yang, Brendan Rodgers has also snapped up Australia international Marco Tilio from Melbourne City and Norwegian central midfielder Odin Thiago Holm from Valerenga on permanent deals to bolster his squad.
What is Hyeok-kyu Kwon's style of play?
The South Korean ace is a ball-winning enforcer who is capable of breaking up the play to win possession back on a regular basis, a style that has led to him being described as the 'K League Rodri' by media in his home country.
His ability as a defensive-minded midfielder could make him the perfect fit for Rodgers' 4-2-3-1 system as Kwon could slot in as one of the two in front of the defence in order to facilitate the deployment of a number ten - David Turnbull.
Having an excellent battler who can screen ahead of the back four to stop opposition attacks could allow an attacking midfielder to thrive as it would negate the need for three midfielders to come back when Celtic are defending.
Kwon, who South Korean journalist Jason Lee claimed has "tons of potential", has made an impressive 3.4 tackles and interceptions combined across 18 K League 2 appearances throughout 2023.
This is an impressive 1.2 more per game than any Hoops central midfielder produced during the 2022/23 Scottish Premiership season, as Matt O'Riley and Callum McGregor both made 2.2 per clash.
He has also averaged 1.2 aerial battles won per match for Busan - 0.5 more per game than any Celtic player in his position has managed, with Reo Hatate's 0.7 having led the way last term.
This suggests that Kwon would provide Rodgers with a significant upgrade on his current defensive options in that area of the pitch, due to the talented South Korean's ability to dominate in the air whilst also being able to constantly cut out opposition attacks with tackles and interceptions.
His presence in midfield could, therefore, allow Turnbull to thrive as a number ten without having to worry about too much defensive responsibility.
The Scotland international has not played the majority of his matches in that position since the 2020/21 campaign, which is when he thrived for the Hoops.
Turnbull averaged a phenomenal Sofascore rating of 7.47 across 36 league outings for Celtic as he contributed with nine goals and 2.9 key passes per match.
For context, Jota was the club's highest-rated performer last term with a score of 7.45 and no midfielder at the club produced more than six goals or 2.1 key passes per outing during the 2022/23 season.
This suggests that the potential is there for the former Motherwell star to be an outstanding performer for Rodgers as a number ten, which could be unlocked by the signing of Kwon.