Bundesliga: South Korean international Ji Dong-won set to join Mainz on free transfer from Augsburg

Paris: South Korea international forward Ji Dong-won will join Mainz at the end of the season on a free transfer, the German club announced on Monday. [caption id=“attachment_6581841” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of Ji Dong-won. Reuters[/caption] Ji, 27, who has 54 caps to his name has signed a three-year deal with the Bundesliga outfit as his contract with current side Augsburg comes to an end in July. “We’re pleased to have signed a player like Dong-Won Ji, who brings with him many years of both domestic and international experience. Being able to sign him on a free is another bonus for us,” Mainz’s sporting director Rouven Schroeder said. The former Sunderland and Borussia Dortmund forward said he had discussed with fellow South Korean Ja-Cheol Koo, who had spent 18 months at Mainz, before deciding on the move. “I spoke with Ja-Cheol Koo, who previously played for Mainz. He told me that I would feel very welcome here, both within the club and the city itself,” Ji said. Ji has scored 13 goals in 112 Bundesliga appearances since originally joining Augbsurg in 2014 but had spells at Dortmund and Darmstadt. He helped South Korea reach the quarter-finals of the Asian Cup in January this year and won a bronze medal at the 2012 Olympics.