Hertha Berlin are attempting to sign South Korean international Hong Hyun-seok on loan from Mainz 05. The 27-year-old midfielder is a priority target for head coach Stefan Leitl ahead of Tuesday's transfer deadline.
Leitl has identified the player, who is currently frozen out at Mainz, as a key objective. Hong Hyun-seok himself wants to move to Berlin to regain regular playing time in a competitive league. Hertha, who lead the 2. Bundesliga with three wins from three matches, are seeking further reinforcements for their promotion push.
Hong Hyun-seok is fit but not playing for Mainz 05. The South Korean made a permanent move to the Bundesliga club in August 2024, following loan spells at Nantes in Ligue 1 and KAA Gent in Belgium during the previous season. At Nantes, he made six league appearances totaling 284 minutes. His career has also taken him to LASK, Juniors OÖ, SpVgg Unterhaching, and Ulsan Hyundai. He has 16 caps for the South Korean national team. A switch to Hertha Berlin would offer him the much-needed minutes.
Alongside Hong Hyun-seok, Hertha Berlin are also targeting Swedish striker Gustaf Nilsson from Club Brugge. Both deals are intended to be structured as loans with options to buy. However, the club's ownership must approve any loan deal due to the financial realities. So far this summer, Hertha have made three signings: Mads Pedersen joined permanently from Augsburg, while Oluwaseun Adewumi arrived on loan from Burnley and Farid Alfa-Ruprecht on loan from Bayer Leverkusen. Simultaneously, 15 players have left the club. The current squad list highlights the need in attacking midfield.
Hertha BSC made a perfect start to the season, winning their first three second-division matches. The team also progressed to the second round of the DFB-Pokal. Last matchday, however, 1. FC Nürnberg took top spot after a 4-1 win over Arminia Bielefeld. Hertha must now respond. The full standings table is available to view. The next opportunity comes this weekend.
All negotiations must be completed by Tuesday, the close of the Bundesliga transfer window. The serious interest in Hong Hyun-seok is known. For Hertha Berlin, the aim is to capitalize on their strong form and augment the squad with quality players. Successfully concluding the loan would be a significant move. Hertha's next league fixture is on Saturday.
