MADRID – La Liga giants Atletico Madrid have confirmed that South Korean international playmaker Lee Kang-in will make the switch from French champions Paris Saint-Germain to the Spanish capital, with the transfer officially announced this past Saturday. The 25-year-old attacking midfielder has put pen to paper on a long-term contract that will keep him tied to Atletico through the end of June 2031. While official financial terms of the deal have not been made public by the club, industry sources close to the negotiation estimate the total transfer fee falls between €35 million and €40 million, equal to roughly $39.8 million to $45.5 million.
Lee’s journey in European football began far earlier than many fans realize. Born in the South Korean port city of Incheon, the midfielder relocated to Spain at just 10 years old to join the prestigious youth development academy of Valencia CF. He worked his way through the club’s youth ranks to eventually earn a spot in the first team, making 62 senior appearances for Los Che before moving on. After a successful spell at Mallorca, where he cemented his reputation as a dynamic creative talent, Lee signed with PSG in 2023. Over his two seasons at the French club, he notched 16 goals across 124 competitive appearances in league, cup, and European competition.
At the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Lee featured in all three of South Korea’s group-stage matches, though the East Asian side was ultimately unable to advance to the knockout round after picking up two losses in group play. Now, he returns to the Spanish top flight he knows well to join an Atletico side that turned in a solid 2023-24 campaign, finishing fourth in La Liga to secure Champions League qualification and reaching the final of the Copa del Rey.
For Atletico, the signing of Lee addresses a key gap in the squad’s attacking line created by the high-profile departure of club legend Antoine Griezmann. Griezmann, who left this summer to join Major League Soccer after becoming Atletico’s all-time leading goalscorer, leaves big shoes to fill in the final third, and the club’s technical staff expect Lee to step into that creative void immediately as they build toward another competitive season across domestic and European competition.