Atletico Madrid are closing in on the signing of Kang-in Lee from Paris Saint-Germain, with Fabrizio Romano reporting that the move is now at an advanced stage. Personal terms between the South Korean attacker and Los Colchoneros are understood to be agreed, leaving the clubs to finalise the fee structure.
A Deal That Has Been Building Since January
This is not a story that emerged overnight. Atletico’s interest in Lee as a primary midfield target dates back to a winter approach in which the Madrid club made contact with PSG, only for the Parisian side to shut down any prospect of a sale before the summer window. That first phase stalled; negotiations reopened in June and have moved considerably faster the second time around.
Lee, 24, spent the formative years of his career in Spain with Valencia and later Real Mallorca before moving to PSG in 2023. His desire to return to La Liga has been widely reported by Spanish outlets, and according to Spanish coverage cited in recent weeks, he had already reached a personal agreement on a contract running to June 2031.
Fee Structure: A Gap Between Base and Add-Ons
ESPN reported that PSG and Atletico had opened formal club-to-club talks, with the French champions valuing Lee at around €35 million. Earlier Spanish coverage had floated a lower range of €25–30 million, and the discrepancy most likely reflects the difference between a guaranteed base fee and the bonus or add-on structure that would close that gap.
Atletico’s capacity to move on this deal sits within a broader summer recruitment plan. Planned sales this window are intended to free up the budget that would fund arrivals of this nature, and the club has already been active – Romano confirmed a separate deal earlier this week, underlining that Diego Simeone’s side is moving with purpose rather than simply fishing in the market.
PSG’s Position and What Comes Next
PSG’s initial reluctance to sell in January has given way to a more pragmatic stance this summer. Lee enters the final two years of his current deal at the Parc des Princes, and with the player’s own preference firmly pointing toward Spain, the French club has little leverage to insist on a prolonged hold-out. The €35 million valuation, if met in full across base fee and variables, represents a workable outcome for all parties.
What remains is the finalisation of that fee structure between the clubs. Once the paperwork clears, multiple reports in both the Spanish and Korean press have suggested that medicals and a formal announcement could follow quickly. Marca and other Spanish outlets have framed the deal as increasingly inevitable given the alignment between Lee’s preference and Atletico’s stated recruitment targets – and with Romano now flagging it as close, the expectation is that this saga reaches its conclusion in the near term.
