Lee Kang-in, 25, a key midfielder for South Korea's national football team, has left Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) to join Spanish powerhouse Atletico Madrid.
Atletico Madrid officially announced the signing of Lee through the club's social media on the 25th, Korea time. The contract runs for five years until June 30, 2031.
"We have reached an agreement with PSG for the transfer of South Korean international Lee Kang-in," Atletico Madrid said.
Lee, who left Mallorca to join PSG in 2023, will return to Spain's La Liga after three years.
According to local media outlet Marca and others, the transfer fee is a base of 35 million euros plus 5 million euros in options, for a maximum of 40 million euros (about 67.1 billion won). This is the second-largest transfer fee for a South Korean player, following the 50 million euros recorded when Kim Min-jae moved from Napoli to Bayern Munich in 2023. It is also 10 million euros more than the 30 million euros paid when Son Heung-min transferred from Hamburg to Tottenham in 2015.
Atletico Madrid, an 11-time La Liga champion, is a prestigious club considered part of Spain's "big three" alongside Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. Lee has become the first South Korean player to play for the first team of one of Spain's three most prestigious clubs.
The Spanish stage is not unfamiliar to Lee. He joined Valencia's youth team at the age of 10 in 2011 and developed there, making his first-team debut in 2018. He later transferred to Mallorca in 2021, spending two seasons before heading to PSG.
Over five seasons in La Liga, Lee appeared in 135 official matches and scored 10 goals, with his league record standing at 9 goals in 110 games.
Atletico Madrid had been watching Lee, who possesses excellent passing ability and tactical understanding, for years. In particular, the club chose Lee as the right man to fill the gap in its attacking line created when Antoine Griezmann transferred to Orlando City of Major League Soccer (MLS) in the United States this summer.
Lee also performed consistently over three seasons at PSG, recording 16 goals and 16 assists in 124 official matches (12 goals and 14 assists in 80 Ligue 1 games), but did not secure a firm starting spot. He contributed to the team's three consecutive Ligue 1 titles and two UEFA Champions League titles, but often remained in a supporting rather than leading role amid the star-studded squad.
