Korean U-20 midfielder to join Austrian club

South Korean football club Pohang Steelers said Wednesday their youth academy product Lee Jin-hyun will join an Austrian club.

Pohang, currently seventh in the top-flight K League Classic, said Lee will sign a contract with FK Austria Wien. The 19-year-old will depart for Austria on Thursday for a medical, the club added.

Lee was pre-drafted by Pohang last year, but went to Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul under the club's consent. Pohang said they reached an agreement with Austria Wien over an ownership for the player, and Lee will join the Austrian Bundesliga club on loan from January to June.

Lee made his name at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in South Korea in June, where he helped the national team to reach the round of 16. Pohang said Austria Wien made an offer after the men's youth football competition.

Austria Wien were the runners-up in the 2016-17 season behind the Red Bull Salzburg, where South Korean attacker Hwang Hee-chan plays. (Yonhap)