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Former Manchester United winger Jesse Lingard is close to completing a shock move to South Korean side FC Seoul.

It is understood the 31-year-old has verbally agreed a two-year deal with the option of a further year and is due to fly out and complete the move in the coming days.

Lingard, who is a free agent after leaving Nottingham Forest last summer, had offers from Saudi Arabia and Turkey but has opted for a move to South Korea as it was the option that intrigued him the most.

Lingard, who signed for Manchester United at the age of seven, is understood to have wanted a fresh start in a new country.

His surprise move comes after he sacked his agents – including members of his family – in an attempt to find a new club.

The Englishman had grown very frustrated that several contract offers and enquiries since his Forest exit had failed to materialise.

Lingard came close to joining Saudi Arabian side Al Ettifaq in October but the deal suffered a late collapse.

The move’s failure is one of the reasons why Lingard decided to sever all ties with his agents to go in a new direction earlier this month.

Despite the Saudi deal falling through, Lingard continued to train with Steven Gerrard’s team and has since been on a strict training regime in the hope of finding a new club.

Lingard has posted on social media photos of him working out in the gym, which drew criticism from Manchester United legend Paul Scholes this month.

The 49-year-old wrote in the comments: “Are you just gonna **** about in the gym or are you gonna actually play football?”

Lingard’s last game was in April for Forest as he made 20 appearances and scored twice last season after joining on a 12-month deal.

Prior to his Forest stint, Lingard had an eye-catching loan spell with West Ham in 2021, scoring nine goals in 16 games.

Lingard won the FA Cup, League Cup and Europa League with boyhood club Manchester United, where he made 232 appearances and has 32 England caps.