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The one where Celtic star Yang Hyun-jun signs with Norwich. But doesn't.

Published: 23 Jul. 2025, 12:21 Updated: 23 Jul. 2025, 17:03

JIM BULLEY
[email protected]

An image initially believed to show Yang Hyun-jun in a Norwich City shirt, now widely believed to be an AI fake, was shared on social media on July 22. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The small corner of social media where fans of Korean and Scottish football gather was caught in a frenzy Tuesday over a picture of Celtic winger Yang Hyun-jun in a Norwich City shirt, seemingly signaling a move to England for the 23-year-old Korean star.

But the photo was fake. The story was fake. And Yang, who scored in a friendly against Newcastle on Saturday, appears to still be firmly at home with the club in Glasgow.

The image, widely shared on X, appears to show Yang wearing a yellow and green Norwich shirt. But it’s heavily blurred, and on closer inspection looks more likely to be AI-generated, lacking the quality you would expect from a modern smartphone.

A widely shared post by @KNTFootball, a Korean national team-focused X account, claimed that the image has been provided by a source and showed “Yang Hyun-jun filmed w/ the Canaries.”

The post has since been deleted, and the account’s operator, Joel Kim, has posted an apology for not properly verifying the source.

The story was picked up by media companies including The Scottish Sun and The Celtic Star, but has since been debunked by Scottish sports journalist Mark Hendry.

Celtic's Yang Hyun-jun celebrates after scoring his side's third goal during a preseason friendly against Newcastle United at Celtic Park in Glasgow on July 19. [AP/YONHAP]

“We can reveal the image was not real,” Hendry reported on Tuesday evening.

“Sources have confirmed this evening that it was a fake with punters of the mind that it could have been created using AI.”

The success of the fake is in part due to the fact that a Yang transfer is within the realm of possibility.

Yang has been linked with a number of possible moves this summer and Norwich is on that list, although there has been no indication of a real offer from the English club.

A young winger with mixed results last season — he finished the 2024/25 campaign with six goals and six assists across all competitions, but only saw one league start since February — Yang is perhaps more likely to be transferred outside of Europe’s big five football nations.

According to Hendry, one option could be Poland’s Ekstraklasa.

“Yang is considering his options with Legia Warsaw also believed to be keen,” he reports.

BY JIM BULLEY [[email protected]]