Atletico Madrid close in on Kang-in Lee as PSG fee talks near resolution

Atletico Madrid are closing in on the signing of Kang-in Lee from Paris Saint-Germain, with transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano reporting the move has reached an advanced stage. Personal terms between the 24-year-old South Korean attacker and Los Colchoneros are understood to be agreed, leaving the clubs to settle the fee structure.

A deal that has been building since January

Atletico’s pursuit of Lee is not a recent development. The Madrid club made initial contact with PSG during the January window, only for the French champions to block any prospect of a sale before the summer. Negotiations reopened in June and have moved considerably faster second time around.

Lee spent the formative years of his career in Spain with Valencia and later Real Mallorca before joining PSG in 2023. His desire to return to La Liga has been widely reported by Spanish outlets, and according to Spanish coverage from 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 PSG valuing Lee at around €35 million. Earlier Spanish coverage had floated a lower range of €25–30 million, a discrepancy that most likely reflects the difference between a guaranteed base fee and the bonus 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 required for 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.

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 contract at the Parc des Princes, and with the player’s preference firmly pointing toward Spain, the French club has limited leverage to hold out for a higher fee. The €35 million valuation, if met across base fee and variables, represents a workable outcome for all parties.

Once the fee structure is finalised, 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.