Atletico Madrid’s sporting department have already started working on identifying targets for this summer’s transfer window. There are plans to address numerous areas of Diego Simeone’s squad, with one of the most pressing being the options in attack.
It is almost taken for granted at this stage that Antoine Griezmann will leave Atleti at the end of the season, with Orlando City heavy favourites to secure his services from the summer onwards. Alexander Sorloth has also been linked with a move, which would leave Julian Alvarez and Ademola Lookman as the only two recognised forwards in the squad.
In anticipation of Griezmann’s exit in particular, Atleti have identified Lee Kang-in as his ideal replacement. The South Korea international has struggled for regular starting opportunties at Paris Saint-Germain, which is why Los Colchoneros officials believe he could be tempted to return to Spanish football, where he previously featured for Valencia and Mallorca.
According to Sky Sports (via ED), Atleti officials have met with Lee’s representatives in recent days, as they seek to outline their plans for a summer offensive. The 25-year-old is fully aware that a move to the Riyadh Air Metropolitano could be on the cards this summer, although a deal will not be easy.
PSG want €40m to sell Lee in the summer
As per the report, PSG are working on tying Lee down to a new contract, which if agreed, would rule out a move to Atleti. If this is not forthcoming, the reigning European champions are preparing to let their player leave, as long as they were to receive an offer in the region of €40m.
This may be too much for Atleti, although they did pay a similar amount to sign Lookman from Atalanta during the winter transfer window. For now, it remains to be seen whether they continue to step up their interest in Lee as the summer draws nearer.
