Earlier this summer, Kang-in Lee departed Mallorca after two successful seasons. He joined Luis Enrique’s Paris Saint-Germain, for a fee believed to be €22m.
However, the situation could have been so different. Atletico Madrid were reported to be interested in signing Lee as far back as January, and Diego Simeone has now confirmed (via MD) that they were looking into signing the 22-year-old.
“There was an interest and movement, but he chose PSG to continue his career. He did very well at Mallorca. Korean football has been growing year-by-year, we saw it in the World Cup.”
Los Colchoneros were reportedly unwilling to match Mallorca’s valuation of Lee, who had a €17m release clause, before it rose to €25m earlier this year. They had hoped to do a player-plus-cash deal, but this never came to fruition.
Atletico Madrid have since moved on to other targets, as they have certainly had a successful window so far, despite missing out on signing Lee.
