Lee Han-beom flies to Denmark to join FC Midtjylland

Lee Han-beom, left, in action for FC Seoul against the Pohang Steelers on Aug. 4. [NEWS1]

FC Seoul defender Lee Han-beom departed for Denmark on Saturday where he is expected to sign with Danish Superliga side FC Midtjylland.

Lee, 21, is expected to sign with the Danish club in the next few days after passing his medical test. According to Korean reports, the transfer is worth about 2 billion won ($1.5 million).

Lee is an ambipedal defender and a key part of the FC Seoul lineup, taking on the center-back role despite his relatively young age. He debuted with Seoul last year and has played a total of 51 games in the K League. He is one of the most highly-rated defenders in the league this year for passing efficiency.

Despite his domestic success, Lee is relatively untested on the international stage. He made eight appearances for Korea at the U-17 level, playing at the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup, and has been a regular call-up for the U-23 team over the last year, although he only has one cap at that level to his name.

He has been named to the Korean squad for the upcoming Asian Games.

Lee is the second Korean player to join FC Midtjylland this summer, joining former Jeonbuk Hyundai Motor striker Cho Gue-sung.

Cho Gue-sung sees immediate success in Denmark

Cho, 25, came to prominence at last year’s World Cup when he scored two goals against Ghana in a group stage game and became the first ever Korean player to score a brace in a World Cup match.

He received offers in January from Scottish Premier Ship side Celtic, Bundesliga team Mainz 05 and Major League Soccer club Minnesota United.

But Cho opted not to move in the January transfer window, staying in Korea for the start of the 2023 K League season with an agreement with his former club Jeonbuk that he would seek a move in the summer.

Cho has missed the last two games with an injury, but before that he was off to a very fast start in Denmark, with four games to his name in nine appearances across all competitions.

Midtjylland will be back in action on Thursday as they take on Legia Warszawa in the second leg of the Europa Conference League playoffs. Whether Cho or Lee will be in the squad for that game is unclear.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]