Having dominated the Serbian league in just one season, Hwang In-beom is eyeing a bigger stage, and Greek club AEK Athens has shown interest in signing him.

Serbian media 'Nogomania' reported on the 2nd (Korean time) that "AEK Athens has made a profitable offer to Zvezda for Hwang In-beom, who has shone in the Champions League and Serbian Super League last season."

The report noted, "Hwang In-beom was a key player for Zvezda last season and was named the best player in the Serbian Super League. He also stood out in the Champions League." Given the current situation, it seems likely that Hwang will change teams, and AEK Athens has not hidden their ambition to sign him.

According to Greek media, AEK Athens manager Matias Almeyda is looking for an excellent midfielder. Hwang In-beom's contract with Zvezda includes a clause allowing clubs from the top five leagues to activate a buyout for 5.5 million euros. Since AEK Athens is not in one of the top five leagues, they would need to offer double (11 million euros) to sign him.

Hwang In-beom moved to Rubin Kazan in Russia but joined K League 1 side FC Seoul through a special FIFA regulation following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. He then signed with Olympiacos in July 2022.

As a key midfielder for Olympiacos, he scored 3 goals and provided 4 assists in 32 league matches, being named the Player of the Club. He received 30.11% of the fan votes, beating forward Cedric Bakambu (19.02%) and goalkeeper Alexandros Paschalakis (16.72%).

After a season of dominating the Greek league, Hwang signed with Red Star Belgrade (Crvena Zvezda) for a new challenge, with Zvezda paying a transfer fee of 5 million euros to Olympiacos, the highest in the club's history.

Serbian SuperLiga's official sponsor, Mozzart Sport, announced on its official SNS on the 30th (Korean time) that "Crvena Zvezda midfielder Hwang In-beom has been named the 'Mozzart Bet' SuperLiga Player of the Season for 2023-24, as selected by the league's captains and coaches." Hwang tied with Partizan forward Mateus Saldanha but was ultimately chosen by the Mozzart Sport editorial team and journalists.

Due to his impressive performances with Olympiacos and Zvezda, big leagues have shown interest. Last month, Serbian media 'Informer' reported that scouts from English Premier League (EPL) clubs were watching Zvezda's matches, with mid-tier EPL clubs looking to assess Hwang's abilities. Additionally, French Ligue 1 teams AS Monaco and OGC Nice, as well as Italian Serie A team Bologna, have shown interest in him.

Informer noted, "According to sources, mid-tier EPL clubs are interested in signing Hwang In-beom. With his career, he could play in stronger leagues than the Serbian league. Zvezda management will consider substantial offers carefully."

Given the interest from big leagues, Hwang returning to Greece is unlikely. Moreover, Zvezda will compete in the UEFA Champions League next season, while AEK Athens will play in the Conference League, two tiers lower.먹튀검증