France's Nantes pro-Park club is on the rise! Midfielder duo Hong Hyun-suk and Kwon Hyuk-kyu, who were looking for a place to play, are about to join together

Jul 23, 2025

France's Nantes pro-Park club is on the rise! Midfielder duo Hong Hyun-suk and Kwon Hyuk-kyu, who were looking for a place to play, are about to join together
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France's Nantes pro-Park club is on the rise! Midfielder duo Hong Hyun-suk and Kwon Hyuk-kyu, who were looking for a place to play, are about to join together
ReutersYonhap News
National midfielder Hong Hyun-seok (26, Mainz) and former Olympic soccer team midfielder Kwon Hyuk-kyu (24, Celtic) are expected to advance to the French stage.

The French daily 'L'Equipe' reported on the 23rd (Korea time) that Kwon Hyuk-kyu will leave Celtic and sign a three-year contract with Ligue 1 club Nantes. He said he was waiting for a medical test, the final procedure of the transfer, and announced that he was in a 'Gerficial' (almost official).

'L'Equipe' introduced Kwon Hyuk-kyu, who joined Celtic in 2023, on loan to Hibernian in the 2024-2025 season and played 21 games in the Scottish Premiership. Unfortunately, Kwon Hyuk-kyu couldn't play an official match at Celtic.




Another Korean midfielder, along with Kwon Hyuk-kyu, is expected to wear a Nantes uniform. 'L'Equipe' said Nantes has been paying attention to Mainz's offensive midfielder Hong Hyun-suk for weeks, and a loan that includes a complete transfer is taking shape.

Hong Hyun-seok, who joined Mainz in the summer of 2024, was pushed out of the main competition and played 23 Bundesliga games as a substitute, recording one assist.

France's Nantes pro-Park club is on the rise! Midfielder duo Hong Hyun-suk and Kwon Hyuk-kyu, who were looking for a place to play, are about to join together
Photo =Korea Football Association
France's Nantes pro-Park club is on the rise! Midfielder duo Hong Hyun-suk and Kwon Hyuk-kyu, who were looking for a place to play, are about to join together
Yonhap News
When the two players join Nantes, Seo Jung-won, Park Joo-young, Nam Tae-hee, Jeong Jo-guk, Kwon Chang-hoon, Hwang Ui-jo, and Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) will become the 14th and 15th Korean players playing in Ligue 1. Three Korean players, including Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Lee Kang-in, can be seen playing in the same league.

Hong Hyun-seok, a creative left-footed player, and Kwon Hyuk-kyu, a tall defensive player, are likely to work side by side on the ground if they are confirmed to join the team as they have different positions.

Nantes managed to stay in the 2024-2025 season, finishing 13th in Ligue 1. In June, he appointed former Portuguese coach Luis Castro and is trying to make changes. Earlier, goalkeeper Alexis Mirbach, defender Uros Radakovic, striker Youssef L-Arabi, and defender Chidozhi Awazm were recruited.

Midfielder Francis Coquelin, who worked with Lee Kang-in in Valencia, is playing for Nantes. El-Arabi played with Hwang In-beom (Feyenoord) for Olympiacos.






This article was translated by Naver AI translator.