Aston Villa have reportedly emerged as favourites to sign Kang-in Lee from Mallorca, after transfer talks with Atletico Madrid broke down.
The 22-year-old has attracted plenty of attention with his form and development with the La Liga outfit, having scored six goals and provided seven assists in 36 league appearances last season.
READ MORE: Touted Villa interest in upcoming free agent dismissed
With 12 caps for South Korea to his name and the ability to play in various attacking positions, including on the right wing, Lee is considered a real talent for both the present and future and has been linked with an exit this summer.
According to Relevo, talks between Mallorca and Atleti have broken down and a move to the Wanda Metropolitano will no longer happen, with a move outside of Spain now touted as the most likely outcome.
Further, as per Estadio Deportivo, Villa are specifically named as one of those potential options abroad, as it’s suggested that we’ve ’emerged as favourites’ to sign the South Korean international now that Atleti are out of the race, and that he has a €25m release clause for clubs hoping to prise him away from Mallorca this summer.
However, it’s added that the two parties have reached a compromise in that if a bid of between €18m and €20m comes in for him, they will open discussions over an exit, and Villa are apparently ‘well placed’ to secure an agreement.
This isn’t the first time that Lee has been paired with a move to join us, and so it remains to be seen if it’s merely media talk, or if Unai Emery is a genuine admirer and is keen to bring him in to bolster his attacking options next season.
The Villa boss noted publicly in January that he wanted to bring in a right-sided attacking player, and while Bertrand Traore presented a short-term solution after his return from a loan spell, it was felt that Emery would revisit that role as a priority in the summer where the bulk of our business would get done.
Lee ticks a lot of the right boxes for the Spanish tactician in terms of his technical ability, speed and versatility, and he could be an interesting solution for us if the reports are accurate, and if a deal can be in fact be done.
