Lee to Atlético set to take second spot – The all-time largest switch charges paid for Asian gamers

Prime 15 ranked 

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Atlético Madrid are set to finish their second main signing of the summer season switch window, with Paris Saint-Germain attacking midfielder Kang-in Lee reportedly on the cusp of a transfer to the LaLiga giants. In line with Fabrizio Romano, the Spanish facet have agreed on a deal to signal the South Korean worldwide, which is now on the cusp of being accomplished following the Asian nation’s elimination from the World Cup. The report states that the switch price can be “value round” €40 million, making Lee the membership’s joint-eighth costliest signing ever, stage with Radamel Falcao’s transfer from Porto in 2011.

Hearsay
	K. Lee
	Attacking Midfield
PSG   92 % Atlético Ligue 1 LaLiga

Lee made the transfer to the French capital from Mallorca in 2023 for a price of €22m, and since then the winger has bagged 16 targets and 16 assists in 124 video games for the French giants, profitable three Ligue 1 titles, two French Cups and, impressively, two Champions League winners’ medals. Nevertheless, whereas Lee’s departure will hardly register as a blip on the radar of most PSG followers, his transfer to Atlético is a substantial second for Asian Football. Not solely is Lee probably the most helpful South Korean participant on the planet, however this deal will even make him one of many all-time costliest Asian gamers within the historical past of the game.

Certainly, as we will see within the desk above, Lee’s €40m transfer to the Spanish capital makes the winger the second costliest Asian participant of all time, placing the departing PSG star stage with Abdukodir Khusanov, who swapped Lens for Manchester Metropolis in 2025 for an an identical price. The one Asian participant to demand the next switch price is Lee’s compatriot Min-jae Kim, who moved from Napoli to Bayern Munich in 2023 for €50m. Third on the record is Shoya Nakajima, who moved to Qatari membership Al-Duhail in 2018 for €35m, adopted by Heung-Min Son’s €30m transfer to Tottenham again in 2015. Remarkably, Lee’s transfer to PSG additionally makes it into the highest 15, rating eleventh within the all-time record.

Solely two different gamers characteristic on the record twice: fellow South Korean worldwide Son, following his €22m transfer to Los Angeles in 2025, and Hidetoshi Nakata, who moved to Parma in 2001 for €28.4m and Roma in 1999 for €21.7m. Rounding out the highest 10 is Moteb Al-Harbi, who strikes from Al-Shabab to Al Hilal for €28.9m in 2024 and subsequently takes sixth place, adopted by Hiroki Ito, who made the transfer to Bayern in 2024 for €23.5m. Alireza Jahanbakhsh’s transfer from AZ Alkmaar to Brighton in 2018 for €22.5m then takes ninth spot on the record, adopted by Son’s aforementioned transfer to MLS.