Manchester United, Crystal Palace eyeing Lee Kang-in for transfer

Lee Kang-in of Paris Saint-Germain may transfer to Manchester United or Crystal Palace after reduced playing time.

Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Lee Kang-in, center, vies for the ball during a Ligue 1 match against AS Monaco at Parc des Princes in Paris on Feb. 7. [AP/YONHAP]

Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Lee Kang-in may transfer to Manchester United and Crystal Palace after seeing a decrease in playing time in the second half of the club's 2024-25 campaign.

French outlet Foot01 reported Sunday that the two Premier League clubs are eyeing the versatile midfielder, who can execute the No. 10 or No. 8 roles.

Lee, 24, played as a regular starter in the first half of the season during which he racked up six goals and three assists across 17 league appearances.

But he saw less time on the pitch from February, playing as a substitute more often and contributing fewer goals.

Lee’s role in PSG’s attack has also not been largely visible in the presence of fellow forwards Ousmane Dembele and Bradley Barcola, who were the biggest contributors to the team’s offensive duties in the 2024-25 Ligue 1 season.

Dembele has racked up 21 goals as the league’s top scorer. Bradley Barcola has contributed 13 to PSG’s so-far undefeated run in Ligue 1. The club has 80 goals, the highest in the league, from its 23 wins and five draws this campaign.

Lee has played multiple positions for PSG, including attacking midfielder and winger on both flanks, but due to his versatility, coupled with competition from fellow forwards, he is not currently the No. 1 pick for any attacking role.

Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Lee Kang-in controls the ball during a Champions League match against Manchester City at Parc des Princes in Paris on Jan. 22. [AP/YONHAP]

Lee is able to play further down in midfield because he has accurate passing and dribbles in his arsenal, but PSG manager Luis Enrique has not deployed him as a central midfielder since last March.

If Lee moves to the Premier League, he would join countrymen Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur, Hwang Hee-chan of Wolverhampton Wanderers and Kim Ji-soo of Brentford there. He would leave with two Ligue 1 titles, one French Cup and two Trophée des Champions — French Super Cup — trophies after spending two seasons in Paris.

He has more shots to lift trophies this year, as the French Cup final, ongoing Champions League knockout stage and expanded Club World Cup still await PSG this year.

A move to United would allow him to follow in footsteps of Korean football legend Park Ji-sung, who spent his glory days with the Red Devils under Alex Ferguson from 2005 to 2012.

Joining Crystal Palace, meanwhile, would make Lee Kang-in the second Korean athlete to play for the club after Lee Chung-yong, who ended his Premier League career there in 2018.

Lee Kang-in is free to pursue his career uninterrupted because he earned mandatory military service exemption through winning a gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023.

Lee still has remaining action to wrap up with PSG this season before he potentially receives a call-up to the Korean national team for the country’s final two games of the 2026 World Cup qualifying round in June.

The PSG midfielder is a regular national team pick, with 36 caps, and has featured in seven of the past eight qualifiers.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]