Newcastle United ‘most interested’ in World Cup star, £15m will seal deal

Newcastle United have reportedly been told they will have to pay a release clause of £15m if they want to secure a deal for Real Mallorca star Lee Kang-In.

The former Valencia midfielder is currently on World Cup duty with South Korea and has appeared as a substitute in their defeat against Ghana and the goalless draw with Uruguay. Those results mean Paulo Bento’s side will head into Friday’s final group game with Portugal knowing they need a win to have any chance of progressing into the knockout stages of the competition.

At club level, the versatile midfielder has spent his entire career in Spain, breaking into the Valencia senior setup in 2018 before joining La Liga rivals Mallorca on a free transfer in August last year. His first goal for his new club came in somewhat unfortunate circumstances after scoring their only goal in a 6-1 defeat against Real Madrid less than a month later.

After scoring one goal and providing three assists in 34 appearances in all competitions during his first season with Mallorca, Lee Kang-In has already went some way to improving on those figures during the first part of the current campaign. With 14 games of the season gone, the 21-year-old has netted two goals and provided three assists as Mallorca have battled their way into mid-table ahead of the World Cup break.

Spanish outlet Marca have now reported Newcastle are the ‘most interested’ in making an offer during the January transfer window - but the Magpies will face competition from Championship promotion contenders Burnley and Dutch club Feyenoord. The report also reveals several scouts from English clubs were on hand to witness the midfielder help his side to a 1-0 home win against Atletico Madrid in their final game before the break for the World Cup Finals.