"35 million or 40 million?"… Lee Kang-in's transfer fee, weekly wage and market value are each measured with a different ruler
Lee Kang-in's transfer fee to Atletico is a base 35 million euros, his estimated weekly wage is joint 13th in the squad, and his market value is 28 million euros. The three numbers are different rulers.
Translated from Korean with AI assistance. Read the original. Sources and original publication dates are retained.
Three-line summary
- The PSG to Atletico transfer fee is a base 35 million euros, and with a 5 million euro option added it reaches a maximum of 40 million euros
- In The National's estimate table of Aug. 6, 2026, his weekly wage is 115,000 euros, joint 13th at Atletico
- As of June 1, 2026, Transfermarkt valued him at 28 million euros, higher than Kim Min-jae and Son Heung-min
35 million euros. That is the base transfer fee reported for Lee Kang-in's move to Atletico on July 25, 2026. One report put it at 40 million euros, and another described his worth as 28 million euros. None of them is wrong. The first two are the base amount and the amount including options for the same fee, and 28 million euros is an estimate by a valuation body.
Lee Kang-in's transfer fee: 35 million euros, up to 40 million euros including options
Atletico did not disclose the transfer fee. All the club wrote in its announcement was the fact of the signing and a contract running through June 30, 2031. The media filled in the amount. Brazil's ge and Spain's AS reported a base fee of 35 million euros, and Yonhap News stated explicitly that an additional option of 5 million euros is attached separately. 40 million euros is the maximum, not a confirmed amount.
Compared with 3 years ago, his position becomes clear. When he moved from Mallorca to PSG in 2023, the transfer fee was 22 million euros. 35 million euros is 13 million euros, or 59%, higher. If the options are fully met, the increase is 82%. Before the move, Transfermarkt projected that if all the options are met, it would rank around 2nd among Asian players of all time.
Lee Kang-in's weekly wage of 115,000 euros, joint 13th at Atletico
The weekly wage is a number that calls for more caution. The National, in its estimated 2026-27 Atletico payroll table published on Aug. 6, 2026, listed Lee Kang-in at 115,000 euros a week, joint 13th in the squad. It is an unofficial estimate by the outlet, not a club payslip.
Published Aug. 6, 2026 · Unofficial estimated weekly wages (The National)
| Rank | Player | Estimated weekly wage |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jan Oblak | 400,000 euros |
| 10 | Pablo Barrios | 120,000 euros |
| 10 | Robin Le Normand | 120,000 euros |
| 10 | José Giménez | 120,000 euros |
| 13 | Morten Hjulmand | 115,000 euros |
| 13 | Lee Kang-in | 115,000 euros |
| 15 | Thiago Almada | 100,000 euros |
The table makes his place clear. No. 1 Jan Oblak's 400,000 euros a week is 3.5 times Lee Kang-in's (40÷11.5). He is 5,000 euros a week behind the three players joint 10th just above him, and 15,000 euros ahead of 15th-placed Thiago Almada just below. He is far from the top, but within the middle of the pack the players are bunched in steps of 5,000 euros.
Reports on his annual salary vary by outlet. Sports Kyunghyang, compiling Spanish media reports, put it at about 6.5 million dollars (about 10 billion won), and Spanish journalist Ruben Uria was reported to have mentioned 10 million euros before tax (about 16.4 billion won) on a YouTube channel. Both are estimates, not official club announcements. His salary during his time at PSG was reported to be about 6 billion won.
Lee Kang-in's market value of 28 million euros, the highest among Korean players
Market value is an estimate by a valuation body, not an actual transaction amount. Transfermarkt's valuation of Lee Kang-in is 28 million euros. In its table of Korean nationals' market values as of June 1, 2026, he ranked first, ahead of Kim Min-jae at 20 million euros and Son Heung-min at 15 million euros. That is 1.87 times Son's value. Because this is a past figure, it is not used as the current ranking.
The player ahead in fees actually paid and the player ahead in valuation are different. When Kim Min-jae moved from Napoli to Bayern Munich in 2023, 50 million euros changed hands, the highest transfer fee for an Asian player ever, and Son Heung-min's move to LAFC in August 2025 set the MLS record of 26.5 million dollars.
From his Valencia debut to No. 7 at Atletico: 124 matches, 16 goals, 16 assists
Lee Kang-in was born on Feb. 19, 2001, and is 25 years old as of Sept. 18, 2026. He made his Valencia first-team debut on Oct. 30, 2018, moved to Mallorca on a free transfer in 2021, and then joined PSG in July 2023 for 22 million euros. He wears No. 7 and scored his debut goal in the 2026-27 La Liga opening match.
His record over 3 seasons at PSG, as stated in Atletico's official announcement, is 124 official matches, 16 goals and 16 assists. At the FIFA U-20 World Cup that ended on June 15, 2019, he won the Golden Ball as the tournament's MVP and finished runner-up. At PSG he won the Champions League in both 2024-25 and 2025-26, becoming the first Korean player to win back-to-back Champions League titles.
Why the three numbers should not be added together
The three numbers differ in nature to begin with. The transfer fee of 35 million euros is the amount reported as the deal between clubs, and the 5 million euro option is paid only if conditions are met. The weekly wage of 115,000 euros is a media estimate, not a payslip. The market value of 28 million euros is an estimate by a valuation body, so it moves with each update. Their reference dates also differ: July 26, Aug. 6 and June 1.
The values keep changing. Payroll tables should be rechecked when the transfer window closes or a contract renewal emerges, market values when the valuation body updates them, and match records after every game. What can be confirmed is his Adidas partnership running since 2013, and on May 6, 2026 he appeared as a model in the "Pass the Flame" campaign alongside Cha Bum-kun and Son Heung-min.
"Lee Kang-in's ranking" has no single answer. By Korean players' market value he is 1st (as of June 1, 2026), by estimated wage at his club he is joint 13th (The National's estimate table of Aug. 6, 2026), and by all-time Asian transfer fee it is a projection of around joint 2nd, on the premise of 40 million euros including options. The figure reported as the amount actually exchanged is 35 million euros.
Frequently asked questions
Q. How much is Lee Kang-in's transfer fee?
It is a base 35 million euros, and Yonhap News reported that a conditional option of 5 million euros is attached separately. If all the options are paid, it reaches a maximum of 40 million euros, but Atletico has not officially disclosed the amount.
Q. How much is Lee Kang-in's weekly wage, and where does he rank in the squad?
Based on the estimate table The National published on Aug. 6, 2026, it is 115,000 euros a week, joint 13th at Atletico. This is a media estimate, not an official club payslip, and as of its check on Sept. 18, 2026, Capology still did not display wages for that season.
Q. How does Lee Kang-in's market value compare with Kim Min-jae's and Son Heung-min's?
As of June 1, 2026, Transfermarkt valued him at 28 million euros, higher than Kim Min-jae's 20 million euros and Son Heung-min's 15 million euros. However, the highest actual transfer fee is Kim Min-jae's 50 million euros (to Bayern Munich in 2023).
Related official sites
- Atletico Madrid official website — You can directly check the original signing announcement and club notices
- Atletico Madrid official profile of Lee Kang-in — Squad number, position and club-compiled records
- La Liga official player stats for Lee Kang-in — Official La Liga appearance and goal statistics
Lead image · Archive photo · Not an on-site photo of the match in the article · Photo composite · Photo=Wikimedia Commons (Werner100359), CC BY-SA 4.0 · Photo=Wikimedia Commons (Paul Vaurie), CC0 · Photo=Wikimedia Commons (dom fellowes from UK), CC BY 2.0
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