CELTIC'S gamble to reject a £6million offer from Rubin Kazan for Ki Sung-Yueng appears to have paid off as the Parkhead club prepare to bank £1m more for the midfield star.
Sources in Seoul claim Queens Park Rangers have won the race to land the 23-year-old, left, after agreeing to meet the Parkhead club's £7m valuation. Only personal terms have to be agreed on the deal to take Ki to the Barclays Premier League, according to reports from Korea.
Ki will fly into London as part of the South Korean Olympic side. And, if QPR can meet his wage demands, they hope they will be able to unveil him before he heads to his country's base for the Games.
Liverpool were among the clubs hot on his trail, but QPR – who signed Ki's former international team-mate, Ji-Sung Park, from Manchester United last week, believe they have beaten everyone to the signing.
A source close to Ki said: "QPR has completed a deal with Celtic for Ki Sung-Yueng's transfer and the two sides are currently negotiating over his salary. It is virtually a done deal."
The player accepts his time at Celtic has come to an end after three years, and Neil Lennon will quickly turn around the transfer fee as he attempts to bring in the new faces he is tracking, including Ki's Olympic team-mate, Kim Bo-Kyung.