Lee Kang-in (PSG) receives a love call from Premier League giant Manchester United.
Italy's Tutto Mercato reported on the 6th (Korea time) that "Newcastle and Manchester United are aiming for Lee Kang-in. He is one of the names that can ignite the European transfer market in winter."
"Lee has scored six goals and two assists in 24 matches for PSG this season. Two clubs, Manchester United and Newcastle, have witnessed this by sending scouts several times. The two teams have inquired about information and will try to recruit him over the next few days," he said.
Of course, it is unclear whether PSG will let go of Lee Kang-in.
Tutto Mercato pointed out, "We need to see if PSG will sell Lee Kang-in. He is not a player who continues to start, but it is clear that he is an important player in coach Luis Enrique's team."
Manchester United and Newcastle have already expressed their willingness to recruit PSG. Tutto Mercato said, "The first contact has already been made. The value is estimated at 40 million euros (60.4 billion won). The amount is subject to change when negotiations begin."
In particular, Newcastle is a club that was rumored to recruit Lee Kang-in last summer. At the time, "McPhee Media," which deals with Newcastle news, said, "The newly appointed director Paul Mitchell has made him a "dream target" in the transfer market."
Coach Eddie Howe and director Mitchell reportedly appreciated Lee Kang-in's versatility to play both left and right sides and central midfielders. McPhee Media had high hopes, saying, "Lee Kang-in also wants to leave PSG as a complete transfer to play as a main player in the first team."
Newcastle also showed interest in Lee Kang-in when he played for Mallorca. At the time, British media reported that Newcastle aimed to reinforce attacking midfielders and that Lee Kang-in and James Madison, who are comparable to David Silva, were targeted. However, Lee Kang-in headed to PSG, and Newcastle recruited Harvey Barnes.
Newcastle seems to have been checking on Lee Kang-in ever since. Last summer, it did not lead to an actual transfer, but the future is unknown. Lee Kang-in recently said he is satisfied with his life at PSG, but if he does not secure a solid position, he may be considering a transfer.
On top of that, another PL big club, Arsenal, is keeping an eye on Lee Kang-in.
The Athletic reported that "one of the names under discussion could be PSG striker Lee Kang-in," delivering Arsenal's January transfer market plan.
"The 23-year-old Lee Kang-in is considering options at PSG despite playing consistently under Luis Enrique. He is open to new challenges," he said.
The Athletic said, "PSG is not actively seeking to sell Lee Kang-in. They highly value Lee both on and off the field. He also has a huge impact on the Asian market. Lee's transfer fee should be at least double the 22 million euros (33.2 billion won) he paid to sign him from Mallorca in 2023."
PSG intends to secure at least 44 million euros (66.4 billion won) in ransom for Lee Kang-in. No matter how urgent the recruitment is in the winter transfer market, the amount is bound to be a burden.
The Athletic also said, "Lee Kang-in is well-known to Arsenal as he scored six goals in 16 league matches this season. However, he is reluctant about the current price tag. However, if PSG is willing to consider a loan deal with a full transfer option, Arsenal might be ready to start negotiations."
Currently, Arsenal are focusing on strengthening their side attacks as Bukayo Saka vacates his position due to hamstring surgery. For this reason, they have captured Lee Kang-in who can play both left and right sides. However, if PSG sticks to its high ransom and immediate transfer, chances are high that Arsenal will turn their attention to another player.
According to The Athletic, PSG is targeting not only Lee Kang-in, but also Nico Williams (Atlantic Bilbao) and Dani Olmo (Barcelona), who have become difficult to register for the second half of the year. However, Williams' buyout amount is very high at 58 million euros (87.4 billion won). Lee Kang-in may be the most realistic option as Olmo is known to still want to stay at Barcelona.
If Lee Kang-in wears an Arsenal uniform, he will become the second 메이저사이트 Korean player since Park Chu-young. At the same time, Son Heung-min, who is the captain of Tottenham, the "North London rival," and the Korean Derby can be expected. Until now, there has been no history of Korean confrontation in the North London derby between Arsenal and Tottenham.
The possibility that Son Heung-min will leave Tottenham has virtually disappeared. As his contract was scheduled to expire at the end of this season, speculation poured in over his future. However, as Tottenham belatedly invoked the option to extend its one-year contract, it became impossible to transfer to a free agent.