Newcastle United’s fantastic second half of the season ensured they will return to the Champions League in the 2025/26 campaign. Eddie Howe’s magnificent Magpies came fifth in the Premier League and managed to cling onto that final Champions League spot despite defeat on the last day of the season at home to Everton.
Since Boxing Day, the North Eastern giants looked like strong contenders for a top-five finish. They were fifth in the league just one day after Christmas, and never really looked like dropping out of that race in 2025.
Newcastle-5
With a huge season ahead, it will be an important few months for Newcastle to build a squad worthy of competing with Europe’s elite. Already, they have been linked with some elite-level players.
Newcastle’s latest summer targets
There is a report from one Spanish news outlet that links the Magpies to four players this summer. One of those includes Real Madrid attacker Rodrygo, who could be available for as little as £67m. Former Manchester City winger Ferran Torres, now at Barcelona, is also linked.
However, one of the most concrete links for Newcastle right now comes from CaughtOffside. They suggest that the North East side are targeting a move for Paris Saint-Germain attacker Lee Kang-in. They are thought to be one side who have ‘made contact’ for the South Korean attacker.
The key phrase there is one of, because the Magpies are set to fight seven other sides across Europe. They include Spanish side Atletico Madrid and Premier League rivals Manchester United and Arsenal.
Lee Kang-in for Paris Saint-Germain
Interestingly, the Gunners were linked with Lee by The Athletic back in January, who reported his transfer fee as £36m, double what the French side paid for him. Perhaps it will be a similar fee this summer, too.
Why Lee would be a good signing
It has perhaps been a slightly frustrating season for Lee in the French capital. He has struggled for regular opportunities, given he is fighting to break into an attack that includes Ousmane Dembele, Desiré Doué and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
Paris St Germain's Lee Kang-in, Paris St Germain's Nuno Mendes and Paris St Germain's Achraf Hakimi
He has played 30 games in Ligue 1 in the 2024/25 campaign, scoring six goals and registering the same number of assists. Crucially, Lee has played just 1667 minutes in the top flight of France, the equivalent of just 18 full games. 12 goals and assists in 18 games is a superb return.
One of the standout features about Lee’s game is his versatility. Luis Enrique has been able to rely on him in numerous positions this season. He has played 13 times as a right-winger, 12 times as a number ten, six games as a centre-forward and even once at right-back.
If the Magpies did sign Lee this summer, they would surely hope he could have the same impact at St James’ Park that their last midfield signing from Ligue 1 has done.
Bruno Guimaraes has been a revelation in midfield since his £30m move from Olympique Lyon in 2022.
bruno-guimaraes-newcastle-united-premier-league
He has amassed an impressive 154 appearances in that famous black and white shirt, scoring 22 goals and registering 24 assists in that time.
At the start of his time in the North East, he said he had ambitions of becoming a “legend” at the club. After helping to deliver the Carabao Cup this season, he may well have reached that level.
Interestingly, talent scout Jacek Kulig said he believes Lee can become a “future legend” of football, further drawing parallels between the pair. If he can have any sort of similar impact on the club as Guimaraes, it would have been a successful transfer.
There are some standout underlying stats on FBref for Lee, which indicate he could become a key player for Newcastle. For example, he averages 7.69 progressive passes and 5.19 shot-creating actions per game, which rank him in the top 3% and 1% of midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues, respectively.
Lee key stats and rank vs midfielders in big 5 leagues
Stat (per 90)
Goals and assists
Key passes
Progressive
Shot-creating actions
Progressive carries
Take-ons completed
Stats from FBref
The last time Newcastle bought a midfielder from Ligue 1, it turned out to be one of the best signings they have made in recent memory. They will surely hope that, if Lee joins, he can be the second coming of Guimaraes in terms of impact on the club.
Lee-Kang-in-and-Kylian-Mbappe-PSG
At just £36m, this could be the bargain of the summer for the Magpies, if Howe and co can get this deal over the line.
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Newcastle are looking for a new addition to their attack