Daejeon Hana Citizen Bae Jun-ho receives offer from Stoke City

Daejeon Hana Citizen's Bae Jun-ho, front, dribbles the ball during a K League game against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors at Daejeon World Cup Stadium in Daejeon on July 12. [NEWS1]

Daejeon Hana Citizen midfielder Bae Jun-ho received an offer from EFL Championship team Stoke City, a Daejeon official confirmed Tuesday.

The club said that it is negotiating a deal, according to Yonhap News Agency. The 20-year-old midfielder can still transfer to the Championship team this summer, as the European football transfer window remains open until Sept. 1.

Bae came to prominence after displaying a solid performance in the U-20 World Cup this year, where Korea reached the semifinals.

Playing as a central midfielder or attacking midfielder, Lee has played 16 matches for Daejeon and scored two goals this season.

Stoke City has managed two wins and one loss in three matches so far in the Championship this season. The last time they played in the Premier League was the 2016-17 season.

Bae is not the only U-20 squad member that received interest from European teams this year. His teammate Kim Ji-soo made in onto European teams’ radar and transferred to Brentford this summer, although he has yet to make his Premier League debut.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]