Atletico Madrid confirmed the signing of South Korean star Kang-in Lee from Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday. The 40 million euro deal ranks as the second most expensive transfer of a Korean player in football history.
South Korean media report that Atletico will pay 35 million euros to the Parisian club, plus 5 million euros in easily achievable add-ons. Lee becomes Los Rojiblancos' third signing of the summer, following Morten Hjulmand and Alejandro Grimaldo through the door.
Only Kim Min-jae's move to Bayern Munich for 50 million euros in 2023 tops it. The fee comfortably surpasses Son Heung-min's 30 million euro switch to Tottenham in 2015, a sign of the rising market value of Korean players across European football.
Media circles in Seoul hailed Lee as the first Korean player to reach "the big three in La Liga", the select group Atletico have deservedly joined alongside Real Madrid and Barcelona in recent years.
Sources in the Korean capital reckon adapting to Diego Simeone's philosophy won't pose a major challenge. Lee boasts long experience in Spanish football, having joined Valencia's academy at the age of ten before making his first-team debut. He then moved to Mallorca and on to Paris Saint-Germain, who were won over by his outstanding performances.
The 24-year-old brings extensive European experience, and his arrival looks like a qualitative boost to Atletico's ambitions of competing for domestic and continental titles.