La Razon: Manchester City interested in Lee Kang-in

Will Lee Kang-in finally wear a different jersey this time? Rumors are fueling that the South Korean midfielder of Valencia FC could leave his team for the English Premier League.

According to the La Razon, the Spanish daily published in Madrid, the Manchester City is greatly interested in Lee Kang-in. The South Korean has also expressed his will to leave Valencia. While he held the limelight last year by catapulting his team to second place in the 2019 FIFA U20 World Cup in Poland, which earned him the Golden Ball (MVP award), Lee is not getting many chances to prove himself in his Spanish home club. He has appeared in six games out of the 11 fixtures this season, none of them in full time.

The issue at hand is money. His buyout is quoted at 80 million euros, and no club will likely pay a full price. But Valencia must hurry as once their contract with Lee expires, which is due in June 2022, they cannot claim any transfer fee. During the summer FA season, the Man City recruited Ferran Torres from Valencia FC. While he had a 100-million-euro buyout clause under Valencia, the Man City reportedly paid about 30 billion won (estimated) for Torres.


hun@donga.com