Aston Villa ‘make contact’ with PSG in bid to sign £37m forward gem over Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace
Aston Villa and PSG meet again, as Villa aim to complete a huge signing from the French champions.
Rewind to April 2025, and Villa Park was rocking as Aston Villa welcomed French champions PSG for their Champions League quarter-final second leg tie in front of the lights. Unai Emery and his side knew they had a lot of work to do, but do it they so almost did.
The tie appeared dead in the water from a Villa point of view when the Parisians took a two-goal lead in the first half, one goal by either full-back seemingly ending the quarter-final as a contest. But Villa had other ideas. First Youri Tielemans struck to get a goal back, captain John McGinn levelled the match on the night then Ezri Konsa struck a third as the Villains went all guns blazing after the break. One more goal would have sent the tie to extra time, and, but for goalkeeping heroics by Gianluigi Donnarumma, they might well have done it. It was European heartbreak for Aston Villa, but what a Champions League run it had been.
Fast forward less than six weeks, and the two clubs could meet again – but this time on the negotiating table, as Villa attempt to persuade an unhappy PSG star to leave Paris for the Premier League.
Aston Villa could do battle with Premier League rivals for PSG ace
Caught Offside have reported that Aston Villa are one of several clubs reported to be interested in signing PSG forward Lee Kang-in, in a deal which could be worth £37m. Manchester United are also reported to have a strong interest in the star, with other potential suitors including Nottingham Forest, Crystal Palace, Atlético Madrid, Napoli, Arsenal and Newcastle United – with all eight clubs said to have made contact with the Parisian giants to register an interest in the South Korea international.
PSG have already had a long-term contract offer rejected by the 24-year-old, indicating that the forward is seeking a move away from the Parc des Princes in search of more first-team football. Signing for the club from Valencia in July 2023, Lee became the first Korean to play for PSG and shone alongside star names such as Kylian Mbappé. But PSG’s identity as a side has changed this year and this has left Lee unsure where his role in the team may lie.
Despite making 19 Ligue 1 starts, Lee has been a substitute for all of PSG’s Champions League knock-out ties and didn’t even come off the bench against Villa in the quarter-finals or against Arsenal in the semis. Lee was unfortunate to be one of the ‘fall guys’ of PSG’s Champions League turnaround after Christmas – it was he who was replaced through the centre at half-time by Ousmane Dembélé in PSG’s comeback 4-2 victory over Manchester City in January, and the rest is history as Dembélé has been unstoppable ever since.
