South Korean football star Ki Sung-Yueng said Thursday he was honoured to be joining the English Premier League, with British media reports he has agreed in principle to sign for Swansea.
Ki was speaking to reporters at Incheon airport before flying to London to finalise his transfer from Scottish champions Celtic.
"It's an honour to play in such a world-class league that I've only watched on television," Yonhap news agency quoted the 23-year-old as saying.
"The key is to make adjustments to my new environment as quickly as I can. If I can just play my game, I think I will have a good career there."
Ki praised Swansea's style of play but did not confirm outright he is about to join the Welsh club. He has attracted interest from several other Premier League sides.
Swansea chairman Huw Jenkins confirmed Monday they had agreed a fee of around six million pounds ($9.4 million) with Celtic. "We are currently holding discussions with the player and agent over personal terms," Jenkins said.
Ki said he would stay in London for a day or two before making his final decision and would not necessarily choose a higher-profile club.
The midfielder said he liked Swansea's playing style and would relish being coached by manager Michael Laudrup. "I would expect to learn a lot from him, since he was such an internationally renowned player," Ki said.
Ki returned home from the London Olympics, where he helped South Korea win bronze, but did not join Celtic for the start of the Scottish season as his agent worked on a transfer.
If the deal is concluded, he would become the 10th South Korean to appear in the Premier League including three current players -- Former Manchester United player Park Ji-Sung with QPR, Park Chu-Young with Arsenal and Ji Dong-Won at Sunderland.
