‘Deal in place’ – PSG attacker closing in on summer transfer as Liverpool watch on

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Empire of the Kop

·6. Juli 2026

‘Deal in place’ – PSG attacker closing in on summer transfer as Liverpool watch on

Atletico Madrid have completed a €40m [£34.2m] deal to sign PSG attacker Kang-in Lee this summer.

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Fabrizio Romano reports on X (formerly Twitter) that ‘formal steps’ are set to follow.

The 25-year-old attacker registered nine goal contributions (four goals and five assists) in 39 appearances across all competitions in 2025/26.

Could Liverpool have turned to Kang-in Lee?

Were the Merseysiders not currently in pursuit of France international Bradley Barcola to bolster the wings, there’s every possibility Lee could have been looked at as a squad option.

🚨🔴⚪️ Kang-in Lee and Atlético Madrid, deal at final stages with Paris Saint-Germain. Final details being sorted and then time for here we go, Atléti want to close the agreement shortly.
– Montag, 6. Juli 2026

🚨🔴⚪️ Kang-in Lee to Atlético Madrid, here we go! Deal in place between all parties. Deal worth around €40m from PSG as personal terms have been agreed months ago, Kang-in wanted Atlético move. 🇰🇷 Formal steps to follow but verbal agreement done. @FabriceHawkins #atleti
– Montag, 6. Juli 2026

Able to play across the forward line and as an attacking midfielder, the Ligue 1 star would have represented an extremely positionally versatile transfer target.

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However, despite PSG making it extremely clear that both Kang-in Lee and Goncalo Ramos were up for sale this summer, Liverpool have opted not to bite the bullet on either.

Again, understandable given our position on Barcola. However, even should the Reds manage to secure the signing of the left-sided winger this summer, it still leaves us looking rather short up top.

Liverpool desperately need depth that Barcola alone won’t provide

There’s no question in our minds that the Frenchman would be a marvellous injection of elite quality.

But we have to point out again, for the umpteenth time, that Bradley Barcola is naturally a left-sided winger (although he can play on the right). More to the point, even assuming we were prepared to go with a front-three consisting of Rio Ngumoha, Alexander Isak and Barcola, with the versatile Victor Munoz and Cody Gakpo surfing across where needed, does that not feel quite bare?

This is where Kang-in Lee – or a profile similar to the PSG star – might come quite in handy, if Liverpool were forced down the route of pursuing a comparatively cheaper option, like Crysencio Summerville or Yankuba Minteh. Especially at such an attractive price point.

* Kang-in Lee’s stats from the 2025/26 Ligue 1 season (Fotmob)

Now, while those percentiles offer some comparison with Ligue 1’s other central midfielders, we still think there’s a point to be made here.

Liverpool need more than one forward come the end of the summer transfer window. Ideally, that’s an elite-level winger like Barcola or Yan Diomande and a backup attacker (specifically, a bona fide goalscorer) who can swap in for Isak when the Swede needs a rest.

Whoever is playing out on the right has to be a facilitator at the bare minimum. This then leaves Liverpool with a far more ideal array of six attackers, including Cody Gakpo, Ngumoha, Munoz, and Alexander Isak.

Critically, all in service of central firepower.