Liverpool are reportedly among several Premier League clubs to have been monitoring one player who’s had the perfect start to the World Cup.
The second match of the tournament saw South Korea come from behind to defeat Czechia 2-1 in Guadalajara, joining co-hosts Mexico on three points in Group A and already in a very strong position to qualify for the knockout rounds.
Among the starters for the Taeguk Warriors was centre-back Lee Han-beom, who according to TEAMtalk has been the subject of scouting missions from numerous England-based suitors over the past few months.
Liverpool, Leeds, Chelsea, Newcastle and Brighton have all reportedly checked on the Midtjylland defender, who’s said to have ‘impressed’ scouts with his ‘composure in possession, physical presence and ability to adapt to different tactical systems’.
The 23-year-old is about to enter the final year of his contract with the Danish club, who are understandably keen to hold onto him, although there’s a ‘growing belief’ that this summer could be their best chance to secure a significant transfer fee for him.
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Lee has been a steady presence at the back for Midtjylland over the past three years in racking up 65 appearances, nine of which have come in the Europa League (Transfermarkt), and the World Cup offers him the perfect platform to embellish his profile.
He played the entirety of South Korea’s opening-night win at the tournament and, as seen below in the figures from Sofascore, put in a solid showing for his country.
Liverpool fans know better than anyone that signing players off the back of a strong World Cup can be misguided – the El-Hadji Diouf we saw at the 2002 finals for Senegal was far superior to the one with which the Reds were lumbered over the subsequent two seasons – although several months of scouting would indicate that the Korean hasn’t magically appeared on FSG’s radar literally overnight.
Journalist Paul Gorst has implored LFC to sign another centre-back this summer after the exit of Ibrahima Konate, and he (and many others) may well be keeping a close eye on how Lee performs for the rest of the tournament.
We’ll have to wait and see whether anything concrete comes from the reported scouring missions from Merseyside, but in the meantime, we’ll be watching the 23-year-old with keen interest in South Korea’s remaining matches at the finals.
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