Kim "
Canna" Chang-dong is in advanced negotiations and will most likely renew his contract with
Karmine Corp until 2027, sources tell
Sheep Esports on Saturday. The South Korean toplaner has several ongoing discussions in both the LCK and LCS but is currently favoring Karmine Corp’s latest offer, which has increased since the initial one. If he accepts, he would reportedly receive one of the highest salaries for a toplaner in the LEC.
Canna began his career in 2020 straight into the big leagues, joining T1 alongside Lee "
Faker" Sang-hyeok. He won the LCK during his rookie split in Spring, though Summer didn’t go as smoothly for the roster. 2021 wasn’t a great year either for T1, but the team still made it to Worlds, reaching the semifinals before falling to DWG KIA.
By the end of the year, Canna was heavily courted by several top LCK teams, most notably DWG KIA, but contract issues eventually led him to join Nongshim RedForce — a year to forget, as the team finished top 8 in both splits. In 2023, Dplus KIA finally acquired his services, but the star-studded roster failed to find consistency. The team placed fifth in both Spring and Summer and didn’t make it out of the Swiss Stage at Worlds.
At the start of 2024, Canna found himself without a team, but for the Summer Split he made a bold move by switching regions to join Karmine Corp in the LEC. The team, coming off two consecutive bottom-ten finishes, signed Canna alongside Can "
Closer" Çelik and promoted Vladimiros "
Vladi" Kourtidis — and immediately turned things around with a top 4 finish. Though not enough for Worlds qualification, it was a clear improvement and a strong foundation for 2025.
Canna decided to stay for the Winter Split, and the year began perfectly with a win and a finals appearance at the First Stand in Seoul. However, the Spring and Summer splits were less successful, and Karmine Corp would not qualify for any other international events that year (Mid-Season Invitational, Esports World Cup and
Worlds).
