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Neil Lennon intends to convince Chung-Yong Lee to stay at Wanderers next season – even though it won’t come cheap.
The in-form Korean star could walk away for nothing in the summer after five years at the club.
And this week it came to light he also stands to miss the whole of January as he competes for his country at the Asian Cup.
Preliminary discussions have already taken place but Lennon has confirmed securing the services of the 26-year-old is now one of his top priorities, and talks could spill into the New Year whilst he is on international duty in Australia.
Chung-Yong has regularly been linked with moves elsewhere through his Wanderers career, with Swansea City, Everton, Cardiff City, Stoke City and Liverpool all said to have monitored him at one point or another.
The rumour mill has slowed this season but Lennon is keen to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.
“There has been no interest yet but the way he’s been playing it wouldn’t surprise me,” he told The Bolton News.
“The flip side of it is can we convince him to stay? That’s another scenario I’d like to look at.
“We’ll have to sit down with Phil Gartside and discuss it, obviously, and it might cost a few quid. But you don’t want to lose a player of that calibre if you can afford to keep him.”
Lennon admitted yesterday Chung-Yong’s involvement in the Asian Cup during January came as some surprise to him.
Wanderers cannot refuse to send him for the FIFA endorsed competition but may opt to hold him back from a training camp, which is likely to be held at the end of December.
The Whites boss also has to decide how to balance out his midfield during that spell, with another of his most creative players, Mark Davies, out until April.
“I haven’t really got my head round it but we’ll have three or four weeks now to think about it,” he said.
“We’ll have to speak with Chungy and see where his priorities lie.
“Whether he wants to be with us or not, if he’s called up it’s very difficult for us not to send him.”
Chung-Yong will also be facing some pressure back home in South Korea to investigate options in one of Europe’s top leagues.
There have been calls ever since Wanderers dropped into the Championship for one of the nation’s integral players to find a club at a higher level – but offers have not been forthcoming, nor have they been solicited by the player, who has remained incredibly loyal to the club, who helped him through his horrific double leg break a few years ago.
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The in-form Korean star could walk away for nothing in the summer after five years at the club.
And this week it came to light he also stands to miss the whole of January as he competes for his country at the Asian Cup.
Preliminary discussions have already taken place but Lennon has confirmed securing the services of the 26-year-old is now one of his top priorities, and talks could spill into the New Year whilst he is on international duty in Australia.
Chung-Yong has regularly been linked with moves elsewhere through his Wanderers career, with Swansea City, Everton, Cardiff City, Stoke City and Liverpool all said to have monitored him at one point or another.
The rumour mill has slowed this season but Lennon is keen to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.
“There has been no interest yet but the way he’s been playing it wouldn’t surprise me,” he told The Bolton News.
“The flip side of it is can we convince him to stay? That’s another scenario I’d like to look at.
“We’ll have to sit down with Phil Gartside and discuss it, obviously, and it might cost a few quid. But you don’t want to lose a player of that calibre if you can afford to keep him.”
Lennon admitted yesterday Chung-Yong’s involvement in the Asian Cup during January came as some surprise to him.
Wanderers cannot refuse to send him for the FIFA endorsed competition but may opt to hold him back from a training camp, which is likely to be held at the end of December.
The Whites boss also has to decide how to balance out his midfield during that spell, with another of his most creative players, Mark Davies, out until April.
“I haven’t really got my head round it but we’ll have three or four weeks now to think about it,” he said.
“We’ll have to speak with Chungy and see where his priorities lie.
“Whether he wants to be with us or not, if he’s called up it’s very difficult for us not to send him.”
Chung-Yong will also be facing some pressure back home in South Korea to investigate options in one of Europe’s top leagues.
There have been calls ever since Wanderers dropped into the Championship for one of the nation’s integral players to find a club at a higher level – but offers have not been forthcoming, nor have they been solicited by the player, who has remained incredibly loyal to the club, who helped him through his horrific double leg break a few years ago.
Source