South Korea star Ki joins Swansea

Ki Sungyueng joined Swansea on Friday after the Premier League club agreed to pay Scottish champions Celtic an undisclosed club-record fee for the South Korea midfielder. Ki has agreed a three-year contract and will now wait for a work permit and international clearance before officially joining up with his new team-mates at the Liberty Stadium. The 23-year-old, reported to have cost £6 million, will not be available for Saturday's match against West Ham and admits he can not wait to eventually get his first taste of Premier League action after watching the English top-flight as a young boy. "This is something I have dreamed about since I was a child - playing in the Premier League against the best players in the world. I can't wait to play my first game," Ki told Swansea's website. Ki, who helped South Korea win the bronze medal at the recent London Olympics, believes Swansea's passing style makes the Welsh club an ideal team to showcase his talents. The presence of former Barcelona and Real Madrid star Michael Laudrup as Swansea manager also played a part in persuading him to leave Celtic. "When I look at Swansea I see a club that is growing and growing, and the style here is very attractive to me," Ki said. "Last year I watched them a lot in the Premier League and they did things very differently to a lot of the other teams. They wanted to keep the ball and pass it around, which I love to do. When they didn't have the ball they worked so hard to get it back quickly. "It was very impressive, and I think I can grow as a player here and help the club move forward. The manager is another big attraction. I remember watching him when I was younger and I was amazed by how good he was. Now I want to learn from him in order to help me become a better player. I learned a lot at Celtic - it helped me become more of an all-round player." Ki spent two-and-a-half years at Celtic after signing from FC Seoul in January 2010 and helped the Glasgow club win the 2011 Scottish Cup final against Motherwell and the Scottish Premier League title last season. He already has experience of the Liberty Stadium after a pre-season friendly with his former club and said: "I remember playing here for Celtic and the fans here made a lot of noise. This is a lovely stadium. I can't wait to get out there and be a part of the team. But first I will enjoy watching the game on Saturday." Swansea chairman Huw Jenkins added: "Having lost Joe Allen (to Liverpool) recently, it was vital that we invested the money wisely by bringing quality young footballers into the club with potential to grow further. Ki fulfils that criteria and everyone in the football club is excited about the prospect of him playing and developing with us."