Ex-Man Utd star Jesse Lingard makes ‘unrealistic’ transfer dream come true in South Korea as free agent closes in on move to FC Seoul on lucrative contract

Having been a free agent since being released by Nottingham Forest in the summer of 2023, Lingard finally appears to have found a new home. He had been linked with teams in England, the United States and Saudi Arabia, but is now heading for the Far East.

Lingard is reportedly set to arrive in South Korea on Monday, with a medical set to be carried out before joining his new team-mates for training in Kagoshima. It is claimed that the 31-year-old ex-England international has a lucrative contract ready to be signed.

K-League side FC Seoul are delighted to be welcoming Lingard through their doors, having considered such a deal to be inconceivable at one stage, with head coach Kim Gi-dong telling BBC Sport: "I heard about it two to three weeks ago and I thought it was unrealistic. I asked our director of football about it and he replied to me yes it's true we are in contact with the player but the deal is not confirmed yet. If he comes, of course, it would be great for K-league as more foreign fans would be interested in our league. And if he comes as he was not playing for a while, we need to give him time to adapt rather than expect an instant impact.”

Lingard has been working on an individual training programme while without a club – attracting criticism from United legend Paul Scholes as he continuously hit the gym – and will be desperate to prove that he still has a spark left in him after a difficult 18 months.