Lee Kang-in’s move to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) is looking increasingly likely to be announced by the end of the week.
Spain’s ‘Marca’ reported on July 7 (KST), “PSG is currently waiting for Lee Kang-in. Lee is planning to arrive in Paris soon to become PSG’s newest player. PSG, under new coach Luis Enrique, will start pre-season next Monday, July 10, and will announce the signing of Lee before then.”
Recently, PSG appointed a new coach. The main man is Enrique. He has achieved significant results at the helm of Barcelona and the Spanish national team, most notably winning the 2014-15 Spanish La Liga, Copa del Rey, and UEFA Champions League (UCL) titles with Barcelona.
PSG wanted a coach with experience in the UCL, the trophy they most wanted. PSG approached Enrique, and a deal was finally reached. Enrique will lead the team starting in the 2023-24 season and has a two-year contract.
The next step is to sign players. “Enrique has already agreed to PSG’s project, and if he is appointed, Marco Asensio, Manuel Ugarte, Milan Skriniar, Luca Hernandez, Lee Kang-In, and Cher N’Dour will join the club,” transfer market expert Fabrizio Romano wrote on March 30.
These are all players who have been linked to PSG, or have already been reported to be on their way. PSG will use the six signings to bolster their offense after losing the likes of Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos at the end of the season.
On the flanks, they’ll be bolstered by Asensio, a longtime Real Madrid player. He will be joined by Lee Kang-in in the second line and midfield, while Ugarte will play as a defensive midfielder. N’Dour is a midfield resource for the future. Shkriniar and Lukaku will be at center back, with Lukaku also capable of defending on the left flank.
The official announcement is already out. PSG officially announced the signings of Shkreliar and Asensio on June 6. Other players are expected to make official announcements soon. Lee Kang-in’s arrival at PSG seems to be just a matter of time.
Lee is a product of Valencia’s youth academy. He was exposed to European soccer at a young age and made his professional debut for Valencia in 2018. He made his Copa del Rey debut at the age of 17 years, 8 months, and 11 days. He broke the record for the youngest foreign debut in the club’s history.
His potential continued to grow. Lee went on to play at the 2019 FIFA Under-20 World Cup, where he led South Korea to a runner-up finish and won the Golden Ball (best player award). Despite this, he continued to be disappointed at Valencia. He struggled to get enough playing time and eventually decided to part ways with the club and move on.
The destination was Mallorca. In his first season with Mallorca, Lee started and came off the bench to play 30 games. This season, his presence has exploded, and he’s become a key player for Mallorca under Javier Aguirre. He has made 36 appearances in Spanish La Liga, 33 of them as a starter.
As his playing time increased, he made a huge impact in every game. He finished the season with an impressive six goals and six assists. This earned him a nomination for La Liga’s Midfielder of the Year (he didn’t make the cut). Naturally, his value skyrocketed. According to soccer statistics site Transfermarkt, Lee’s price tag last summer nearly quadrupled in a year to nearly €22 million ($31.7 billion).
There were also transfer rumors. Atletico, who had been interested since January, were the leading candidates, but disagreements over the transfer fee broke down and PSG emerged as the new destination. The deal seemed to be wrapping up quickly, with the player reportedly completing a medical before the start of the June A match.
However, no official announcement was made. Mallorca were in no rush to finalize the deal. Initially, PSG held talks with Mallorca in order to lower the price, but there were some delays.
In the meantime, other news broke on the PSG transfer front. Late last month, Le Parisien reported that “negotiations for the signing of Lee Kang-in have entered the final stages. Luis Enrique, who is the favorite to take over, has already worked with president Nasser Al-Khelaifi and director general Luis Campos to evaluate the player 먹튀검증.”
The transfer fee has finally been agreed upon. Matteo Moretto, a journalist for Spain’s Relevo, announced on his social media account on May 5 that “the transfer between Mallorca and PSG has been finalized. The amount is 22 million euros,” he said.
If the deal goes through, it will be the second highest transfer fee in Mallorca’s history. The first was Samuel Eto’o, who joined Barcelona in the 2004-05 season for €27 million. The current runner-up is Diego Tristan, who left for Deportivo in the 2000-01 season for €17.75 million.
However, it is reported that Mallorca will not receive the full €22 million. According to Marca, Lee waived his transfer bonus when he left Valencia and joined Mallorca as a free agent. Because of this, he will receive €4.4 million, or 20 percent of the €22 million transfer fee that Mallorca received from PSG.