'A staggering 70 billion won': Lee Kang-in heads to Atletico, becoming the second-highest transfer fee in Asian history... surpassing Son Heung-min and Kim Min-jae

*This content was translated by AI.

Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), a key midfielder for the South Korean national football team, is heading to the prestigious Spanish La Liga club Atletico Madrid. Leaving behind the disappointment of being eliminated in the group stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, he has become the protagonist of a massive transfer.

European football transfer market expert Fabrizio Romano announced on the 6th (Korean time) that Lee Kang-in is moving to Atletico Madrid.

Notably, Romano conveyed that PSG and Atletico have agreed on a transfer fee, using his signature phrase 'Here we go,' which he employs when a transfer is confirmed. According to Romano, the scale of this transfer fee is around 40 million euros (approximately 70 billion won).

Rumors of Lee Kang-in's move to Atletico had persisted for some time and seemed to be progressing somewhat slowly, but it is reported that the transfer has been pushed forward more quickly now that South Korea's World Cup group stage schedule has concluded. Agreements between clubs have been reached, personal terms have been negotiated, and all preparations are complete, leaving only formal administrative procedures.

This is a major transfer. Football statistics specialist media 'Transfermarkt' also covered the imminent news of Lee Kang-in's move to Atletico prominently, focusing intensely on the value of the transfer fee.

The media explained, "A transfer fee of 40 million euros is at the same level as the amount recorded when Radamel Falcao joined from Porto in 2011, marking the eighth-highest sum in the club's history."

This transfer fee is also a landmark figure in Asian football history. According to 'Transfermarkt,' this contract ranks as the second-highest cumulative transfer fee for an Asian player ever. It stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Abdoukodir Khusanov, who moved from Lens to Manchester City in 2025 for 40 million euros.

The record for the highest-ever Asian transfer fee is held by national team teammate Kim Min-jae, who transferred from Napoli to Bayern Munich in 2023 for 50 million euros, with Lee Kang-in now closing in on that mark. Third place is occupied by Shoya Nakajima (35 million euros), who moved to Qatari club Al-Duhail in 2018, and fourth place by Son Heung-min (30 million euros), who joined Tottenham Hotspur in 2015.

Lee Kang-in already holds the record for the 11th-highest transfer fee in this category after moving from Mallorca to PSG in 2023 for a fee of 22 million euros. With this, Lee Kang-in becomes only the third player to appear twice on the top 15 list of all-time Asian transfer fees, following Hidetoshi Nakata (who played for Parma and Roma) and Son Heung-min (who moved to LAFC in 2025).

In addition, Motab Al-Harbi, who moved from Al-Shabab to Al-Hilal in 2024 for 28.9 million euros and ranks sixth; Hiroki Ito (23.5 million euros), who headed to Bayern Munich in 2024 and ranks seventh; and Alireza Jahanbakhsh, who transferred from AZ Alkmaar to Brighton & Hove Albion in 2018 for 22.5 million euros, currently hold the ninth spot.

Since entering the French stage in 2023, Lee Kang-in has delivered outstanding performances with 16 goals and 16 assists in 124 total appearances for PSG. During this period, he won the Ligue 1 title three times, the Coupe de France twice, and lifted the UEFA Champions League trophy, Europe's premier stage, on two occasions, growing into a bona fide top-class midfielder. Although Lee Kang-in primarily served as a backup resource in France while delivering overwhelming results, he is now ready to establish himself as a core starting member for his new team.

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*This content was translated by AI.