Seol Young-woo's Red Star move not done deal: Report

Korean sports broadcaster SpoTV on Monday reported that, according to an unnamed Ulsan official, while there have been transfer talks between the two clubs, Red Star and Ulsan have not officially inked a deal.

Seol Young-woo, left, tries to break through during a Group E match between Korea and Bahrain at the 2023 AFC Asian Cup at Jasim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, Qatar on Jan. 15. [YONHAP]

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Korean sports broadcaster SpoTV on Monday reported that, according to an unnamed Ulsan official, while there have been transfer talks between the two clubs, Red Star and Ulsan have not officially inked a deal.

The club reportedly expects Seol to return to Ulsan upon recovery from shoulder surgery, according to SpoTV.

The 2023-24 Serbian Superliga champions also reportedly reached a deal to sign Panamanian forward Puma, 25, according to the Serbian media report on Monday, but Red Star has not officially confirmed the move.

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A Seol transfer to any club outside of the K League was reportedly stalled by Ulsan, who are chasing a third straight league title in the 2024 K League 1 season.

Ulsan HD defender Seol Young-woo shoots in the second leg of the 2023-2024 AFC Champions League quarterfinal match against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors at Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan on March 12. [NEWS1]

The 25-year-old defender was also previously linked to Premier League side West Ham, who in January were rumored to be looking at a possible transfer while Seol was with the Korean national team at the 2023 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar.

After Korea crashed out of that tournament in the semifinals, Seol told reporters in a mixed-zone interview that he “always had a dream of playing in Europe” but “was told by [Ulsan] that they cannot allow the move.”

If Seol does make it to Serbia, he could overlap with a couple other Korean players, including Red Star's Hwang In-beom, the 2023-24 Serbian Superliga Player of the Year — though he has picked up interest from more powerful clubs. Korea's You Ji-un, 19, is on loan to FK Cukaricki from the K League 1's Daegu FC until Dec. 31.

Seol has established himself as a national team regular and was part of Korea’s gold medal-winning squad at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games last October, earning a military exemption that will allow him to pursue a career abroad uninterrupted — though he was left out of this month’s 2026 World Cup qualifiers due to his shoulder surgery.

The schedule for the 2024-25 Serbian Superliga season has yet to be announced, but regular season games are expected to begin later this summer.

BY MARY YANG [mary.yang@joongang.co.kr]