Aston Villa are reportedly interested in Mallorca and South Korea attacking midfielder Kang-in Lee this month.
The January transfer window promises to be fascinating one for Villa, given it’s the first opportunity for Unai Emery to start stamping his mark on the squad.
READ MORE: Villa, Emi Martinez stance touted amid interest
Incomings and outgoings are expected – albeit it’s unclear how many at this stage – but one area that the Spaniard is seemingly keen to address is our attack, as he alluded to in his press conference in midweek.
“We are trying to add some different characteristics into the squad,” Emery said, as per Villa TV. “We now have two strikers in [Ollie] Watkins and Danny Ings, who are specifically strikers. If we add someone, they will be different, as a player, striker.
“When I arrive here, we need a winger, a specific winger, we need it and we are trying to find one.”
According to Matteo Moretto, a potential solution to that problem could be Lee, as it’s suggested that Villa are one of the teams interested in the 21-year-old.
Having come through the youth ranks at Valencia after moving to Spain in 2011, Lee scored three goals and provided three assists in 61 appearances for Los Che, while he has added three goals and six assists in 51 appearances since joining Mallorca in 2021.
It’s worth pointing out that two of those goals and three assists have come in 15 league outings so far this season, and so it appears as though Lee is continuing to mature, develop and find a bit more consistency to go with his talent and potential.
Add to the mix his 10 caps for South Korea already, and he does appear to have a bright future ahead of him.
Given there is no suggestion of talks being underway between the two clubs over a possible transfer as of yet, it seems as though this one is still a long way off from reaching any sort of outcome. It will be worth monitoring though as Emery perhaps continues to look for reinforcements in Spain given his knowledge of the league.
Aside from being able to play through the middle as an attacking midfielder, Lee can also operate on either flank. It’s something he has done this season consistently, particularly on the left side, and so the pieces do fit to suggest that this could be an option for Villa this month.