Paris Saint-Germain’s (PSG) Lee Kang-in (22) could have a new, younger teammate, as PSG is in a last-minute battle with Chelsea for “French God” Bradley Barcola (20, Olympique Lyonnais).
“PSG and Chelsea are in a race to sign Barca,” France’s RCM Sport reported on Sunday.
“Manchester City have withdrawn from the race to sign Barca, but a strong contender has emerged for PSG. Chelsea.”
A dual French and Togolese citizen who can play on the left or right flank, Varane is a versatile player who can also play as a center forward. He has an excellent ability to put in key passes and is a good finisher. He’s also very active in defense.
A former youth product of French Ligue 1 side Olympique Lyonnais (2010-2021), he came up through the Lyon B team in 2020 before breaking into the first team in the 2021-2022 preseason. He signed his professional contract in January 2022 and is tied to Lyon until 2026.
He has also been a regular on the French age-group squads. After making his debut with the Under-18s and then the Under-20s on March 29, 2022, he was called up to the Under-21s this year and has already scored five goals and provided two assists.
According to football statistics site Transfermarkt, he played 26 league games in the 2022-2023 season, scoring five goals and providing nine assists. In all competitions, he has seven goals and 10 assists in 35 appearances. Injuries have hampered him at times, but he’s come on strong in the second half.
PSG value his ability to play on the right, left, and up front. He really caught PSG’s eye when he scored the winning goal in the league match between PSG and Lyon in April. In that match, Lyon won 1-0 thanks to his goal.
Along with Manchester City, German Bundesliga side Leipzig have been linked with a move for the player, but it looks like it’s a two-way battle between PSG and Chelsea.
Lyon are in no rush to sell Bacca, but are willing to part ways with him if a club pays the expected transfer fee.
“The talks between Lyon and Chelsea have become more frequent in recent days,” said RCM Sport, adding that “Lyon coach Laurent Blanc can’t help but think that Barca will leave the club at the end of the summer transfer window. The Blues have emerged as a strong contender for PSG. PSG initially made an offer of more than €30 million ($43.7 billion) to Lyon for the 20-year-old, but it was rejected.”
According to RCM Sport, Lyon have set a transfer fee of €50 million ($72.8 billion) for Barca. For now, they have no intention of selling him for less than €35 million.
The estimated transfer fee for Lee Kang-in, who wore a PSG jersey in Mallorca this summer, is 22 million euros (32 billion won). That makes Bradley’s price tag higher than Lee’s.
It’s still hard to tell which club is the frontrunner for Barca’s signature. In the end, the team with the most money could be the one that opens Lyon’s door.
If he does end up in a PSG shirt, Lee Kang-in will be paired with a striker younger than him. With Kylian Mbappe, 24, returning to the club, competition for a starting spot would be fierce, but with PSG’s willingness to rebuild their squad with promising young talent, he could be assured of some opportunities.
According to South American sports publication BolaVIP, “PSG are thinking about the future of the club and have approached Barca. They want to sign a talented winger who can become the new Mbappe.” 토토
