'Assets totaling 1.68 trillion won': Korean owner of a prestigious European club targets South Korea national team... Love call for Bae Jun-ho

*This content was translated by AI.

South Korea national team winger Bae Jun-ho (Stoke City) is receiving a strong love call from French football powerhouse Olympique Lyonnais. Notably, Lyon is well known as the team led by Korean club owner Michelle Kang (Chairman), who possesses immense financial power.

British media 'Inside Football' reported on the 14th (Korean time) that "French powerhouse Olympique Lyonnais has identified Stoke City attacking midfielder Bae Jun-ho as a cost-effective acquisition target in this summer's transfer market."

Earlier, according to French media 'Foot Mercato', Lyon had been monitoring Bae Jun-ho of Stoke to strengthen its midfield. Recently, it was understood that the club is even pushing for direct acquisition.

The background behind Lyon's active approach toward Bae Jun-ho lies in the alignment of contract duration and the player's will. Bae Jun-ho is currently entering the final year of his contract with Stoke. Accordingly, Lyon assessed the situation regarding Bae Jun-ho and Stoke's contract as an opportunity to acquire a national team-level resource at a relatively low transfer fee.

The media suggested that "Bae Jun-ho himself is also greatly drawn to the idea of transferring to Lyon this summer, making this acquisition attempt likely to proceed more smoothly."

Since joining Stoke in the summer of 2023, Bae Jun-ho immediately secured a starting position. Last season, he played in 42 out of 46 matches in the English Championship (second division), acting as a key figure for the team.

However, promotion to the English Premier League (EPL) by his club appears difficult. Despite gaining momentum early in the season, Stoke fell significantly behind in the race for promotion spots.

Bae Jun-ho has been recognized for his value after being included in the 2026 FIFA North American World Cup national team roster recently, but he suffered misfortune by sustaining an ankle injury during a pre-tournament evaluation match just before the tournament. Ultimately, he had to swallow deep regret without playing a single match on the main stage, yet he remains one of the promising talents attracting attention in Europe.

Above all, Lyon, which wants Bae Jun-ho, is a club very familiar to Korean football fans. This is because it is led by Michelle Kang (Chairman), a native of Seoul who became prominent as an asset holder in the United States. According to estimates by American media 'Forbes', Michelle Kang (Chairman), with massive assets totaling 1.68 trillion won, was originally recognized as a giant in women's football for operating teams such as Lyon Féminin. Since June, he officially assumed the role of club owner for the men's team and took full control.

Michelle Kang (Chairman) demonstrated his management capabilities by saving Lyon, which had been relegated to the second division by the French Football Federation's financial oversight department (DNCG) due to financial difficulties immediately after taking office. Kang (Chairman) led the appeal process by scrutinizing accounting documents day and night, even contributing a large portion of personal funds to resolve club debts amounting to approximately 800 billion won, ultimately achieving a dramatic confirmation of retention in Ligue 1 on the 10th.

Having overcome the crisis and preparing for competition in the first division next season and participation in the UEFA Europa League (UEL), Lyon is accelerating squad strengthening under the full support of club owner Michelle Kang.

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*This content was translated by AI.