Lee Kang-in is connected to Atletico Madrid, where he recently faced off.
Reporter Matteo Moreto,토토사이트 an expert on the Spanish transfer market, said on the 28th (Korean time), “Lee Kang-in is currently very close to transferring to Atletico. Atletico has shown interest in Lee Kang-in since he was at the Valencia youth academy. However, after several years, the transfer is very imminent.”
Lee Kang-in joined Mallorca ahead of last season. He grew up in the Valencia youth academy, but decided to take on a new challenge when he was not given a chance to play for the first team. Lee Kang-in, who spent his first season adapting, has established himself as a key player this season under the trust of coach Javier Aguirre. He has made 30 league appearances so far. The number of times he has played as a starter alone is 27.
As his playing time increased, so did his performance. He has scored 5 goals and 4 assists so far and is responsible for one axis of Mallorca’s attack. He has been showing more outstanding performance lately. In the match against Getafe held on the 24th, the first Korean to score a multi-goal in La Liga. In particular, in a counterattack situation in the second half of extra time, he ran for about 60m alone and shook the net.
He showed off his presence in the next match as well. Lee Kang-in was put in as a second-half substitute in the match between Mallorca and Atletico on the 27th. He was at the level of physical fitness. As soon as Lee Kang-in entered, he showed active movement. And around the 35th minute of the second half, he left a strong impression by dribbling between the four defenders of Atlético and then connecting to the shooting.
Shortly after the match against Atletico, transfer rumors arose. Atletico was also linked with Lee Kang-in in January. Regarding this, reporter Moreto said, “Atletico made an offer in the winter transfer market, but Mallorca blocked Lee Kang-in’s transfer at the time.”
At the same time, reporter Moretto said, “As Lee Kang-in performed well, several teams in the English Premier League (EPL) began to show interest. However, in the past few hours, the situation has changed dramatically. Atletico participated in the recruitment match, and coach Diego Simeone also recruited Lee Kang-in. approved,” he said.
Atletico are currently in 3rd place in La Liga. With 7 games remaining, the gap with 5th placed Villarreal is 13 points. It is likely to participate in the European Football Federation (UEFA) Champions League (UCL) next season. In addition, coach Diego Simeone, who has led Atlético since 2011, boasts a splendid career, including two La Liga titles, two UEFA Europa League titles, and two UCL runner-ups.