Grimaldo, the Spain full-back set to depart Bayer Leverkusen for around €20 million, addresses a position the club has prioritised for months. Lee Kang-in's arrival from Paris Saint-Germain is expected to cost in the region of €35 million, with the final figure subject to performance-related add-ons.
Both deals are progressing. Atletico Madrid's relationship with the leadership of both selling clubs is strong. Bayer CEO Fernando Carro and PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaïfi both have established ties with the club's hierarchy, and sporting director Mateu Alemany has used those connections to advance conversations.
Both players are at the World Cup. Grimaldo is part of Spain's squad, operating as back-up to Marc Cucurella. Lee Kang-in was South Korea's attacking focal point, though the team were eliminated in the group stage after defeats to co-host Mexico and South Africa.
The original priority targets this summer were Bernardo Silva and Cucurella — both of whom were close to joining before Real Madrid moved for both. The estimated €55 million Real Madrid paid for Cucurella alone has effectively set the combined budget for Grimaldo and Lee.
Alemany is working in parallel on further recruitment. A holding midfielder and several player sales are also on the agenda. Closing the Grimaldo and Lee deals quickly would give Diego Simeone two confirmed additions and a degree of stability as the club navigates one of the more turbulent transfer windows in recent memory, with the Julián Álvarez situation still unresolved.
Grimaldo and Lee are expected to be formalised as signings once the World Cup concludes.