Kang-In Lee has finally found a club that actually wants to play him. The South Korean midfielder joins Atletico Madrid from PSG in a deal worth around €40 million, signing until 2031 — and after two Champions League finals spent watching from the bench, he'll be desperate to prove he belongs in a starting eleven.
The 25-year-old racked up 124 appearances for PSG and picked up 12 trophies, including back-to-back Champions League medals he barely touched. Luis Enrique never quite trusted him, a thigh injury wiped out the second half of his final season, and PSG moved on with zero sentimentality. The French side "warmly" thanked him in the announcement, which is the football equivalent of a polite handshake on the way out the door.
A smart fit — if Simeone uses him right
Atletico are getting a left-footed attacker with genuine quality: sharp vision, tidy in tight spaces, capable of playing central or wide. The question isn't his ability — it's whether Diego Simeone's system will give him the freedom to express it. Atletico's attacking midfield spot has been a revolving door, and Lee offers something different from the physical, high-intensity profiles Simeone usually gravitates toward.
He's their third summer signing, joining Morten Hjulmand and Alejandro Grimaldo, while Antoine Griezmann has departed for Orlando City. The squad is being rebuilt with purpose. How Lee fits into their pressing structure and whether he can stay fit will shape Atletico's top-four credentials this season — and those top-four odds look considerably more interesting with a creative playmaker added to the mix.
At international level, Lee made his 50th cap at the World Cup, where South Korea went out in the group stage. A fresh start at a club that actually signed him to play should do him good.
Khusanov commits to City through 2030
Across the city — metaphorically speaking — Manchester City have tied down Abdukodir Khusanov on a five-year extension. The 22-year-old Uzbekistan international has been at City less than 18 months after arriving from Lens in January 2025, and he's already won the FA Cup and League Cup.
The timing matters. City are transitioning under new manager Enzo Maresca, and locking in a young centre-back with serious physical tools sends a clear signal about who's in the long-term plan. Khusanov himself framed it in those terms: "I have a new challenge now, which is to impress Enzo Maresca and his staff and ensure I am in his team regularly."
That's honest. He knows he still has to earn his place — no extension guarantees minutes.
He's the second player to sign a new deal this week after Phil Foden, and director of football Hugo Viana called him an "outstanding defender" while flagging that "his best years are all in front of him." City's defensive stability — and their title price for next season — just got a little more grounded.
