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Bayern's Lee Hyun-ju to reportedly leave Bundesliga for Primeira Liga's Arouca

Published: 23 Jul. 2025, 16:48

Korea's Lee Hyun-ju, right, vies for the ball during a 2026 World Cup qualifier against Kuwait at Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium in Kuwait on Nov. 15, 2024. [YONHAP]

Bayern Munich midfielder Lee Hyun-ju looks set to leave the Bundesliga giants to join Portuguese club Arouca in the Primeira Liga.

A source in the European transfer market said Wednesday that Lee will "transfer to Arouca on a permanent deal."

The transfer fee is reportedly a club record amount, surpassing the highest at 1.6 millon euros ($1.8 million) — which the team paid to Bayern for Taichi Fukui earlier this year.

Lee, 22, played the entire 2024-25 season at Hannover 96 in 2. Bundesliga and has reportedly drawn interest from multiple other 2. Bundesliga and Belgian teams since the end of the campaign.

But Lee has chosen Arouca, after the Portuguese club showed interest in the midfielder.

Arouca, founded in 1951, earned their first promotion to the Portuguese top-tier Primeira Liga ahead of the 2013-14 season, playing in the first division until facing relegation in the 2016-17 season.

But the club returned to the top tier in 2021 and has stayed in the league since. The squad finished in 12th place on the 18-team table.

For Lee, this marks his first transfer to a non-German club after starting his career in Europe in 2022.

A product of K League 1 team Pohang Steelers' youth team, Lee played for the Steelers' U-18 team in 2021 and joined Bayern on loan in 2022, before signing a permanent deal with the Bundesliga club later that year.

He played for fellow German teams Wehen Wiesbaden and Hannover 96 on loan while on the books with Bayern.

He never played for Bayern's first team, but made 26 appearances for Bayern II, the club's reserve team, and registered 10 goals and three assists for the squad.

Lee mainly plays as an attacking midfielder and displays agility and aggression.

He went through the U-17 and U-20 Korean national teams, before making his first senior cap in November last year.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY PARK RIN [[email protected]]