Hearts move to sign ex-Barcelona forward Lee Seung-woo with a contract offered to the South Korea internationalist

South Korea international forward Lee Seung-woo has been offered a three-year deal to join Hearts.

The 24-year-old Suwon player is enjoying a rich vein of form which has captured the attention of clubs in Asia and Europe. Hearts have submitted an offer in an attempt to lure him to Scotland and strengthen their attack.

They would like a deal agreed in the near future, although it is not certain whether Lee is ready to leave Suwon mid-season. He has scored ten goals in 22 appearances this term for a club sitting sixth in the K League 1.

Hearts believe he can add creativity, pace and a scoring instinct to their forward line for the season ahead. Lee often plays as a second striker or a left winger and is a key part of Suwon’s side.

He has 11 international caps for South Korea and also boasts considerable experience of playing football in Europe. He joined Barcelona at the age of 12 and progressed through the club’s La Masia youth academy before playing for Barca B.

Italian club Hellas Verona bought him from Barcelona for €1.5million in 2017, and two years later he moved on to Belgium with Sint-Truiden. After a loan spell at the Portuguese club Portimonense – where he was coached by former Hearts manager Paulo Sergio – Lee returned to his homeland to sign for Suwon earlier this year.

He now has options to head back to Europe if he desires, with Hearts keen to add him to their squad. The Edinburgh club are also interested in the former Blackburn Rovers and Manchester City midfielder Jacob Davenport.