There was a reason why Saudi Arabia’s oil money wanted Lee Kang-in (23, Paris Saint-Germain). Although it is a pre-season, it showed overwhelming performance in friendly matches.
Lee Kang-in started in a friendly match against Leipzig at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig, Germany on the 11th (Korea time). Playing as a right striker, he became the center of Paris Saint-Germain’s attack and aimed a shot back and forth between the center and the side.
He continued to play defense, aiming for a loophole in Leipzig, and gained vitality in attacking Paris Saint-Germain. He attempted a sharp pass and an accurate left-footed cross in front of the goal while seeking an opportunity to steal the chance. He also delivered a decisive pass to Colomuan, proving himself to be one of Paris Saint-Germain’s best talents.
In the second half, he aimed himself at the goal, which shocked Leipzig. He attempted a left-footed mid-range shot while driving the ball from the right to the center. He was blocked by the goalkeeper, but it was meaningful enough. At the end of the second half, he still displayed influence even when he moved to the left. Paris Saint-Germain drew 1-1 due to Lee Kang-in’s outstanding performance and Gonzalo Hamus’ equalizer.
According to Sofa Score, a soccer statistics firm, Lee had a 93% pass success rate and one dribble success. His cross success rate was 50%, and he created two chances. He was the best among the starting players who played in the match against Leipzig, receiving a seven-point rating.
Lee also proved his influence in the first pre-season warm-up match. In a friendly match with Sturmgratz, Lee played as a defensive midfielder, 95 percent of pass success rate, 83 percent of long pass success rate, two successful tackles, and 10 successful ball competitions. He also displayed influence in Paris Saint-Germain by scoring 7.5 points on the day.
The French media ‘PSG Report’ reported, “Lee Kang-in has shown great performance in the pre-season. I’m really looking forward to his performance in the 2024-24 season. He has completed his adaptation at Paris Saint-Germain. He is a top player at Paris Saint-Germain.”
It was an indicator of why Lee Kang-in has recently been connected to Saudi Arabian teams. French media “Foot Mercato” said, “Some teams in Saudi Arabia are interested in recruiting Lee Kang-in. We are preparing to hand over a huge offer to Paris Saint-Germain and Lee Kang-in.”
“One of the Saudi Arabian teams is trying to give Lee the highest salary in the Saudi Arabian professional league,” he said. However, he added, “Paris Saint-Germain rejected all offers to Lee Kang-in. The same goes for Lee Kang-in. He also said he has no intention of moving. We have to wait and see.”
In Saudi Arabia, the highest salary in the league is Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nasr). This meant that the Saudi Arabian team would offer an annual salary of 200 million euros (about 298.2 billion won) if Lee Kang-in had any thoughts.
Lee Kang-in is a player who was recruited under the leadership of Luis Campos. It is a resource that was recruited as a long-term plan, judging that the talent shown in Spain’s Primera Liga will help the future of Paris Saint-Germain.
Lee Kang-in has been on quite a few European team radar networks since he played for the Valencia Youth Team. There was friction over the time to play in the first division for Valencia, where he played for more than a decade, and he succeeded in making a major leap forward for Majorca. Two seasons later in Mallorca, there were love calls from many, including Premier League teams, and Lee Kang-in’s choice was Paris Saint-Germain, the absolute powerhouse of the French Ligue 1. He signed a five-year contract with the first recruitment of a Korean from Paris Saint-Germain, and played in 36 games, including the Cup tournament, with five goals and five assists, and finished his debut season with all trophies in France except the Champions League. 토토사이트
After the end of the season, they played the second Asian qualifying round for the FIFA North-China World Cup and prepared for rest and pre-season by physical fitness in Mallorca, Spain. However, it was rumored that the Premier League team would spend more than 100 billion won on recruiting Lee Kang-in. “Newcastle United has officially inquired about recruiting Lee Kang-in to Paris Saint-Germain,” said McFay Media, which delivers the news of Newcastle, adding that Paris Saint-Germain will pay about 70 billion won in transfer fees.
As Lee Kang-in, who was scheduled to return to Paris Saint-Germain after the break, did not attend the team training, rumors of a transfer became more active. However, reporter Roik Tanji of the French leading newspaper Lekif and reporter Vangjamain Quarez, who is familiar with Paris Saint-Germain, said, “Lee Kang-in will return to the Paris Saint-Germain team training,” drawing a line that the absence of team training and transfer rumors are not related.
French media ‘Get French Football News (GFFN)’ also said, “Paris Saint-Germain rejected the Premier League team’s offer. This means that Lee Kang-in is in the team plan next season. There is no possibility that Lee Kang-in will leave Paris Saint-Germain.”