Mainz and Werder interested in Seol Young-woo

FSV Mainz 05 and SV Werder Bremen scouts were in Belgrade yesterday evening, as both sides are reportedly interested in South Korean full-back Seol Young-woo.

FSV Mainz 05 and SV Werder Bremen are two names on a long list of clubs interested in South Korean international full-back Seol Young-woo, who is currently playing in the Serbian SuperLiga with Crvena zvezda.

Korean football journalist Han June reports, via Serbian sport newspaper Telegraf, that Mainz and Bremen are among six teams that scouted Seol in Crvena zvezda’s UEFA Champions League qualifying match against Polish club Lech Poznań. Apart from Mainz and Werder, the other clubs that brought scouts to the match in Belgrade were KV Club Brugge (Belgium), AS Monaco (France), Stade Rennais (France), and FC Groningen (Netherlands).

These six clubs have joined English side Sheffield United FC in terms of interest for the 24-year-old from Ulsan, but Sheffield already have an advantage in that they made contact with Crvena zvezda last week, sending an initial €3 million offer for Seol. The Serbian giants want at least €5.5 million to buy out Seol’s contract, one that officially expires in 2027.

Between Mainz and Werder, it is the latter that appears to be more interested. Han reports that Werder believe Seol is exactly what they need in terms of a full-back option; they have been testing the market over the last month to see who they can bring to the Weserstadion.

Seol has already played two matches in the Serbian SuperLiga this season, picking up two assists in that competition. In all of the last three seasons, he finished as a member of a league-winning side; he finished with six goals and five assists in thirty matches in Crvena Zvezda’s 2024/25 championship campaign, and before that, he was part of Ulsan HD FC when they won the K League 1 titles in 2022 and 2023.