PSG let a $25 million star leave in the middle of the season and here's why

Paris Saint-Germain spent a fortune this summer to sign players to replace departing stars like Lionel Messi, Neymar and Marco Verratti and help raise the team's level to compete for Ligue 1 and Champions League titles. Top-class players such as Goncalo Ramos, Ousmane Dembélé, Marco Asensio and Randal Kolo Muani joined Luis Enrique's squad during the last transfer window.

Among them is also Kang-In Lee. The South Korean winger had great performances at Real Mallorca during the last two seasons and that caught the attention of the French side, who paid $25 million for him. His signing was a success even before he played for the team, as his jersey was a record seller in Asia.

At the start of the 2023/24 season, the player was part of the starting lineup in the debut against Lorient and in the second match against Toulouse FC, but then suffered physical discomfort that prevented him from playing against Lens and Olympique Lyonnais. For this reason he will not play this Friday against Nice and could miss the Champions League opener against Borussia Dortmund.

This means that coach Luis Enrique may not be able to count on him for a long time. This is because next week PSG will let him go with the South Korean national team to compete in the Asian Games starting on September 23. The French side are not obliged by FIFA rules to release him at this time, but they have decided to do so for a good reason.

They want to avoid a bigger problem

In South Korea, it is mandatory to perform military service for 21 months. However, there are exceptions for certain elite athletes. So if Kang-In Lee wants to avoid it, he is obliged to achieve an accomplishment with the national team. His first chance will be to win the Asian Games, as Heung-Min Son did in 2018. If not, he will have to win a medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics.