'Give me Lee Kang-in!' Napoli's crazy demands are absolutely unacceptable..."Here We Go" Reporter "PSG Osimhen Negotiations Stop Completely"

Jul 23, 2024

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) rejected the Lee Kang-in trade requested by Napoli in the process of acquiring Victor Osimhen. PSG is in a strong position not to recruit Osimhen on the condition that Lee Kang-in is included. Lee Kang-in, who suffered from various transfer rumors this summer, returned to PSG and began preparing for the next season. Photo = Lee Kang-in SNS

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) will never accept Napoli's demand to release Lee Kang-in.

This summer, PSG are working to minimize Kylian Mbappe's gap. Originally, he tried to recruit Hvitsa Kravatshelia, the ace of Napoli, but failed. Hvitsa tried to play the media to leave Napoli through his agent and father, but Napoli President Aurelio de Laurentiis and new coach Antonio Conte were not easy opponents.

In the end, PSG aimed for Victor Osimhen, who decided to part ways with Napoli. Napoli decided to sell Osimhen because Conte had asked for Romelu Lukaku. Napoli's demand was 130 million euros (about KRW 195.9 billion), Osimen's buyout clause.

No matter how rich PSG was, they could not pay 130 million euros to Osimhen at a time when they had to reinforce several positions. In response, PSG attempted to persuade Napoli with cash and players. In the process, Lee Kang-in's name was mentioned.

Gianluca Di Marzio, an expert in the Italian transfer market, said on the 15th (Korean time) "PSG's intention is to include players in the recruitment process. The player currently being considered is midfielder Carlos Soler from Valencia, Spain. There is also Nordi Mukiele, a French defender who played for RB Leipzig. The last is Korean winger Lee Kang-in from Valencia. Currently, Napoli are only interested in Lee Kang-in, who moved to PSG a few months ago"It was reported.

Napoli became a huge hit after recruiting Kim Min-jae in the 2022-2023 season. He topped Italy's Serie A for the first time in 33 years and sold the player, who he acquired for 18 million euros (about 27.3 billion won), for 50 million euros (about 75.3 billion won) in a year, making a huge profit. It even confirmed its attractiveness to the Asian market.

As a result, President De Laurentiis and the Napoli club have considered recruiting Lee Kang-in ahead of the 2023-2024 season. However, it did not happen as Lee Kang-in headed to PSG. This time, when PSG tried to add a player to Osimen's recruitment, they demanded Lee Kang-in.

However, PSG took a position that it could never give up as much as Lee Kang-in. Fabrizio Romano, an expert in the European transfer market, said on his personal SNS on the morning of the 23rd that `The negotiations between PSG and Naples over Osimen did not progress after the recent negotiations. PSG rejected the deal that included Lee Kang-in. They won't even invoke the buyout clause as Napoli would like. There will be no deal under these conditions`PSG's firm stance toward Lee Kang-in.

The fact that PSG actively protects Lee Kang-in is that it highly values Lee Kang-in internally. It can be inferred that Lee Kang-in is judged to be a player who can be with PSG for a long time.

Lee Kang-in has made a very big contribution to PSG's French league victory since leaving Mallorca to join PSG at the end of the 2022-2023 season. In the French League 1, he did not play a full season due to injuries and national team transfers, but he played in 23 league games and scored three goals and four assists, showing that he successfully adapted to PSG.

In Trope de Champion, Lee Kang-in scored the first goal and became the main character of PSG's first trophy of the season. At that time, Lee Kang-in was considered the best player of the game and grabbed his first trophy at PSG. In another Cup tournament, Coupe de France, Lee Kang-in showed good performance in the quarterfinals and semifinals, leading PSG to the final. Although he did not play much time in the final, Lee Kang-in's performance was easy throughout the season.

Considering the schedule, Lee Kang-in's performance deserves higher praise. This is because Lee Kang-in has successfully settled in the league and team despite his injury at the beginning of the season, his transfer to the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games in the early and mid-season, and the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup in the middle. PSG believes that Lee Kang-in can contribute to the team's further development in the future.

Lee Kang-in was a little behind in the main competition in the second half of the season, but if he shows good performance again, he can leap to the main player at any time. In addition, Lee Kang-in is a multiplayer. PSG coach Luis Enrique even publicly praised Lee Kang-in's multiplayer tendencies. Lee Kang-in is also a very helpful resource in the operation of the season because he can play in the center as well as the left and right wingers.

As PSG aims to expand the Asian market through Lee Kang-in, Lee Kang-in is a player who can be very helpful in terms of the club's finances. PSG decided that there was no need to push for the recruitment of Osimen by giving up Lee Kang-in.

Reporter Romano said on the afternoon of the 23rd, "PSG will not pay Osimhen's buyout clause. Negotiations stopped under the conditions that included Lee Kang-in," he said, confirming once again that PSG intends to protect Lee Kang-in unconditionally.

Meanwhile, Lee Kang-in returned to PSG on the 22nd and began pre-season training. PSG reported Lee Kang-in's return on its official channel on the 23rd. At the same time, Lee Kang-in was shown simply checking his physical condition before starting pre-season training.

Lee Kang-in began preparing for the 2024-2025 season in earnest with a playful tone, saying, `I'm ready for the season, but I'm not ready for a medical test.' Lee Kang-in has been building his body since the vacation with the cooperation of his mother, Mallorca. I'm looking forward to a better performance because I was able to have a more fruitful vacation and preparation than last season.

rlaeotlr2024@sportschosun.com

'Give me Lee Kang-in!' Napoli's crazy demands are absolutely unacceptable..."Here We Go" Reporter "PSG Osimhen Negotiations Stop Completely"

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