Napoli's love for Lee Kang-in (24, Paris Saint-Germain) is genuine.

Italy's 'La Repubblica' reported on the 7th (Korean time), "Napoli's acquisition of Kevin De Bruyne is just the beginning. They are planning to strengthen all positions." It went on to say, "Defenders, midfielders, and forwards are all being mentioned. Among them, Napoli prefers Lee Kang-in for reinforcement in the midfielder position."

Currently, PSG has set Lee Kang-in's transfer fee at 40 million euros (6.21 billion won). This amount is almost double the 22 million euros (3.42 billion won) paid to acquire Lee Kang-in from Mallorca two years ago. Considering that the highest transfer fee Napoli used for acquisitions in the 2024-2025 season was 35 million euros (5.43 billion won), the conditions proposed by PSG are quite high.

PSG believes it does not need to rush to dispose of Lee Kang-in, who has three years left on his contract. Although he is not a starter, PSG sees no reason to send Lee Kang-in out at a loss. Manager Luis Enrique experimented with Lee Kang-in in various positions until the middle of the season. He was utilized as a winger, central midfielder, and even as a false nine, but he has not firmly established himself as a regular.

There seemed to be potential early in the season, but his playing time drastically decreased from the middle of the season. After the Ligue 1 championship was secured, Lee Kang-in was a full-time player only in the match against Montpellier and did not participate in key matches such as the Coupe de France final or the UEFA Champions League (UCL) final.

Lee Kang-in was included in the UCL final roster but ultimately did not get to play. Having spent most of the late season on the bench during major matches, he was effectively classified as 'out of the equation.' In a situation where participation itself is uncertain, a new team for Lee Kang-in has become more of a necessity than a choice.

In this situation, Napoli has consistently been mentioned as a strong candidate for Lee Kang-in's next destination. Kim Min-jae (currently Bayern Munich) played a key role in leading Napoli to the league title and they had previously considered Lee Kang-in as a player exchange option during the negotiations for Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. Napoli has highly valued Lee Kang-in for his technical completeness and experience in European competitions.

However, the transfer fee issue continues to pose a challenge. The prevailing assessment is that PSG is not accepting the realistic threshold that Napoli is willing to work with. Lee Kang-in's transfer is a situation that cannot be resolved with mere hopes of a transfer. The 40 million euros set by PSG is both a realistic constraint and simultaneously acts as 'the tallest wall' in terms of restructuring Lee Kang-in's career.

Still, Napoli strongly hopes to acquire Lee Kang-in. Rather than switching to another player, Napoli's current strategy is to find a way to bring in Lee Kang-in. La Repubblica emphasized, "In reinforcing the midfielder position, Napoli is looking to bring in one to two more players in addition to De Bruyne. Among them, for reinforcement in the midfielder position, they want Lee Kang-in the most. Inter Milan's Prates is a second choice, but the player Napoli most desires is Lee Kang-in."

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