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North London derby could get Korean twist as Arsenal linked to Lee Kang-in

Published: 08 Jan. 2025, 10:56

JIM BULLEY
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Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Lee Kang-in reacts during the Champions League match against PSV Eindhoven at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris on Oct. 22. [AP/YONHAP]

Premier League football’s most contentious derby could get a lot more Korean this season, with rumors circulating Tuesday that Arsenal might make a play for Paris Saint-Germain’s Lee Kang-in.

That would put Lee on the other side of the bitter north London derby from Tottenham Hotspur’s Son Heung-min, turning it into a Korean generational clash as arguably Korea’s greatest-ever footballer takes on the man widely seen as his successor.

But a lot would have to have to change for that to happen.

Lee, 23, is currently a big part of Luis Enrique’s PSG and a potential suitor would need to be very persuasive to persuade the club to let him go.

Lee is interested in other options, according to the Athletic, but a possible deal would likely need to be at least double the €22 million ($23 million) that PSG paid for Lee in 2023.

Lee has six goals and two assists in 16 Ligue 1 appearances so far this season, his second in France. Last season he recorded three goals and four assists, teaming up with Kylian Mbappe before the Frenchman moved to Real Madrid.

Lee also scored five goals and picked up three assists for Korea last year, playing an increasingly important role on the national team.

Son Heung-min, left, celebrates with Lee Jae-sung after scoring against Kuwait at Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium in Kuwait City, Kuwait on Nov. 14. [YONHAP]

He has long been a fan favorite back home, where he has been seen as the future of Korean football since starring on TV show “Fly Shoot Dori” at just six years old.

He moved to Valencia a few years after that appearance and spent 10 years in the academy before being dropped in 2021 and moving to Mallorca. He drew plenty of attention at the Spanish club, and was reportedly already on Arsenal’s radar.

If Lee does land at Arsenal, it will not be the first time that he has ended up on the opposite side of a fight to Son Heung-min.

Korea’s Asian Cup campaign hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons in February last year when news broke of a locker room spat between Korean football's two biggest stars: Son and Lee.

Reports of a physical altercation the night before Korea’s semifinal clash with Jordan sparked a media frenzy, with Son reportedly dislocating a finger in the scuffle. Details trickled out later — Son, it seems, wasn’t thrilled about younger players sneaking off from a team dinner to play table tennis, and things quickly escalated.

Son returned to Tottenham with his finger taped up and Lee to PSG with his tail between his legs. The younger star quickly apologized, as did Son, and the two made peace a week later in London. They've been fine since then, both returning to the Korean squad as if nothing had ever happened.

The brief interlude between news of the fight breaking out and the two making up marked the only time that Lee has not been one of Korea’s favorite sons, and it did not last long — by September, national team sponsor KT was opening a one-man Lee Kang-in fan zone in central Seoul.

Lee is not the only Korean player caught up in transfer rumors. The Guardian reported Tuesday that struggling West Ham are interested in Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Hwang Hee-chan, who just recorded his 100th Premier League appearance on Monday in what has been a quiet season for the 28-year-old.

BY JIM BULLEY [[email protected]]