Korean midfielder Hong Hyun-seok joins French club FC Nantes on loan

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Korean midfielder Hong Hyun-seok joins French club FC Nantes on loan

Published: 31 Jul. 2025, 09:40 Updated: 31 Jul. 2025, 18:46

PAIK JI-HWAN
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

A picture of Hong Hyun-seok shared on FC Nantes's official website on July 30. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Korean midfielder Hong Hyun-seok has joined Ligue 1 club FC Nantes on loan with a permanent transfer option from Mainz, the French team announced on Wednesday.

His loan fee is reportedly 40 million euros ($45 million), with the permanent transfer fee to be 3.5 million euros.

Hong, 26, joins compatriot Kwon Hyeok-kyu, who moved to Nantes last week. Hong joined K League 1 side Ulsan Hyundai, now Ulsan HD, in 2018, but immediately spent a loan spell at SpVgg Unterhaching in the 3. Liga — the third division in German football.

After another loan spell from 2019 to 2020 at Austrian team Juniors OO, he joined fellow Austrian team LASK in August 2020 but spent a second loan spell at Juniors for the 2020-21 season.

The 2021-22 season saw him establishing himself as a regular pick, playing 40 fixtures across all competitions.

He further picked up form after joining KAA Gent in 2022, playing as a key midfielder and racking up 18 goals and 20 assists across 104 matches until joining Mainz in the summer of 2024.

But he struggled to establish himself as a regular pick for Mainz in the 2024-25 season, during which he only made one assist in 23 matches for the club across all competitions.

Hong’s move gives him a chance to secure more playing time in France ahead of the final squad announcement for the 2026 World Cup. The midfielder has 15 caps, but only clocked up six minutes across two appearances during the third qualifying round that ended in June.

The Hong-Kwon duo’s transfer to Nantes sets a possible Korean derby against Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Lee Kang-in next season, although Lee’s future in Paris looks unclear with transfer rumors surrounding him.

Nantes will start the 2025-26 Ligue 1 campaign after finishing in 13th place on the 18-team table last season. The club won the league title eight teams, having last done so in 2001.

The team last secured silverware in 2022 by winning the French Cup.

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