STOKE ON TRENT, ENGLAND - JANUARY 20: Birmingham manager Tony Mowbray during the Sky Bet Championship match between Stoke City and Birmingham City at Bet365 Stadium on January 20, 2024 in Stoke on Trent, England. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
Sunderland now set to miss out on 26-year-old World Cup star to Tony Mowbray
Sunderland look set to miss out on a midfield target to Tony Mowbray’s Birmingham City.
Tony Mowbray has already had a bid rejected by Sunderland for Alex Pritchard and is still eager to reunite with the 30-year-old, however that hasn’t stopped him from snatching another midfielder from his former club’s grasp.
Sunderland have made their intentions of bolstering their midfield very clear this week, having entered into talks with Barnsley over a deal for Callum Styles, while they have also been linked with Lyon’s Skelly Alvero.
Sports Donga have also now revealed that Sunderland were interested in signing Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors star, Paik Seung-ho.
The report claims that the 26-year-old has received offers from Sunderland and Birmingham City, as well as clubs in Ligue 1 and the Bundesliga. However, he has opted to snub a move to Wearside and join Tony Mowbray in the Midlands.
It is thought that the midfielder will put pen to paper on a two-and-a-half-year contract at St. Andrews this week, though it is unclear how much they are coughing up to land him. He may move on the cheap after entering the final six months of his deal in South Korea.
Who is Paik Seung-ho?
Born in Seoul, Paik Seung-ho joined Barcelona’s academy in 2010.
He had little chance of competing for a place in the senior team and went onto join Girona seven years later, where he made 55 appearances for their B team.
Seung-ho made six appearances for the senior team during the 2018-19 season, before moving to the German second division with Darmstadt.
He made 41 appearances in 2. Bundesliga but eventually returned to South Korea with Jeonbuk after falling down the pecking order.
The 26-year-old also earned his international debut in 2019 and has since earned 15 caps. He made one substitute appearance for South Korea in their 2022 World Cup round of 16 clash with Brazil, scoring their only goal of the game before being nominated for goal of the tournament.
