Blackburn Rovers are set to complete the signing the of South Korean international midfielder Kim Bo-Kyung as soon as the 25 year old is granted a work permit from the FA, according to reports from the Lancashire Telegraph.
In order to reduce the number of non-EU internationals playing in England, the FA introduced new, stricter regulations on such players following the findings of the FA "England commission". However it is not yet known if Bo-Kyung and Blackburn will fall foul of such regulations. A decision is expected by the governing body at the end of the week.
Personal Terms Agreed
Bo-Kyung is understood to be training with Blackburn, and personal terms have been discussed and agreed between both parties.
The former Cardiff City player is now available to Blackburn on a free transfer, following his decision to turn down a new deal at relegated Wigan Athletic in order to pursue Championship football.
The signing of Bo-Kyung would represent one positive moment in what has been a largely frustrating pre-season so far for Gary Bowyer. Rovers were placed under a transfer embargo alongside fellow Championship clubs Nottingham Forest and Leeds United by the Football League, following a breach of UEFA's financial fair play regulations. This has restricted Bowyer to deal in only the free transfer and loan markets.
Financial Fair Play
Should the FA grant Bo-Kyung the work permit, he would join Danny Guthrie, Fode Koita and Sacha Petshi as Blackburn's summer acquisitions. However, it has been a summer dominated by news of deals out of Ewood Park, with Josh King joining Premier League new-boys Bournemouth for a fee of £1.5 million, following a tribunal settlement regarding a compensation settlement between the two clubs. King is one of 12 players with first team experience following the end of the 2014/15 campaign, which also includes Tom Cairney, who joined Championship rivals Fulham. Persistent rumours also remain with regards to the futures of strikers Jordan Rhodes and Rudy Gestede, with Middlesbrough set to be tabling a £14 million bid for the former.