South Korea striker Ahn set to move to Japan's Shimizu

South Korean striker Ahn Jung-hwan is set to join J-League club Shimizu S-Pulse, his agent said on Wednesday.

A key player in the South Korea team that finished fourth in the recent World Cup, Ahn's move follows a fallout with his former Italian club Perugia and visa troubles that halted a transfer to English premier league Blackburn Rovers last month.

"We have agreed on the big principle that Ahn should move to J-League's Shimizu S-Pulse," said Kim Hyung-wook, managing director at Ahn's agent Eplayers.

"If the talks go smoothly, Ahn could take a flight to Japan early next week," he said, adding that the player planned to sign a one-year deal.

He declined to confirm a report in the South Korean daily Joongang Ilbo which said the striker would be paid about 60 million yen ($500,300).

The 26-year-old Ahn was loaned to Perugia by South Korean club Pusan I.cons.

After he scored a golden goal to dump Italy out of the World Cup in June, Perugia president Luciano Gaucci said Ahn would "never set foot in Perugia again".

Gaucci later back-tracked but Ahn then refused to return to the Serie A club.

The Tokyo-based company Professional Management paid Perugia around $1.3 million to release Ahn, his agent said.

Ahn spent two years with the Italians but did not appear in enough matches to qualify for a UK work permit, scuppering a possible move to Blackburn.