The atmosphere is in full swing among big clubs to recruit “monster defender” Kim Min-jae (26, Naples). It seems that Manchester United (Man United), which was previously rumored, as well as Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) participated in the recruitment of Kim Min-jae.
After moving from Turkey’s Fenerbahce to Italy’s Serie A Napoli this season, Kim Min-jae has emerged as the best defender in the league. He started and played full-time in 14 of the 15 matches the team played throughout the league and the UEFA Champions League (UCL). There is only one league game where Kim Min-jae did not appear.
Thanks to Kim Min-jae’s strong support in the rear, Napoli is leading the league (13 wins, 2 draws, 41 points), beating prominent teams such as Juventus, Inter Milan, AC Milan, and Lazio. Kim Min-jae was also selected as the ‘Player of the Month’ for September by the Serie A Secretariat.
At the Qatar World Cup, Kim Min-jae’s performance was by far outstanding. In the first game of the group stage against Uruguay, he completely blocked world-class strikers Darwin Nunez (Liverpool) and Luis Suarez (Club Nacional). Despite suffering a right calf muscle injury in the match against Uruguay, he led the defense by starting against Ghana in the second round of the group stage and against Brazil in the round of 16.
Korea’s World Cup competition ended after the round of 16, but the competition to recruit Kim Min-jae has just begun. The team that has been watching Kim Min-jae for a long time is Man Utd, which has a weakness in the center back. It was belatedly revealed that Manchester United made an offer to recruit Kim Min-jae at a low price last year, who was aiming to advance to Europe, but was rejected. Now it looks like they are rolling up their arms properly and starting the recruiting process.
The British media ‘Mirror’ reported on the 11th, “Man United, who refused a transfer fee of 3 million pounds (about 4.8 billion won) (which Fenerbahce wanted) last year, has become interested in ‘World Cup Star’ Kim Min-jae again in 18 months.” . “Man United are looking for replacements because of the chronic injury of Rafael Varane and the uncertain future of Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof,” he added.
The problem is that more teams now want Kim Min-jae. The opponent is also not formidable. Real Madrid and PSG are rivals.
‘Mirror’ said, “Kim Min-jae wore the Fenerbahce uniform last summer while Manchester United hesitated,” and “now there is a buyout clause of 38 million pounds (about 60.8 billion won), and many teams, including Real Madrid, are showing interest in him.”
The Spanish media ‘Football España’ also quoted a report by ‘Mirror’ and said, “Real Madrid is considering signing Kim Min-jae in January next year .
” French soccer media ‘Footour 7’ said, “After PSG failed to sign Milan Shkriniar (Inter Milan), they changed their goal to Kim Min-jae.” A well-established defender,” he introduced.
PSG is a team that needs no further explanation. Superstars such as Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, and Neymar are active. The defensive line is lined with outstanding stars such as Sergio Ramos, Marquinhos, and Ashraf Hakimi.
However, compared to the offensive team, which boasts super-luxurious members, the defensive team is in a situation where the weight is less. So, to reinforce the defense, they promoted the recruitment of Shkriniar, but when it was not possible, it is observed that they turned to Kim Min-jae as an alternative resource.
Less than half a year after joining the team, as rumors of Kim Min-jae’s transfer continue to linger, his team, Napoli, cannot hide their tension. It is expected that transfer proposals from big clubs will pour in in earnest from the transfer market in January next year. In particular, it is not strange to leave for any team as the buyout known for only 50 million euros (approximately 68.8 billion won) will be activated next summer. 안전놀이터
In order to keep Kim Min-jae, Napoli is known to have deleted the buyout clause and are already preparing to negotiate a renewal of the contract even though it has been less than a year since he joined.
Napoli coach Luciano Spalletti is also active in ‘protecting Kim Min-jae’. “Kim Min-jae cannot leave Napoli,” Spalletti said. “He is very comfortable in Napoli and is very used to playing in our way.”
But if the big clubs offer a transfer fee that Napoli can’t refuse, it’s a different story. Napoli’s financials are not bad, but it’s hard to say it’s a big club. Even if you are a key player, if the ransom price rises, you need to sell it appropriately to run the team. ‘Footsur7’ also said, “PSG needs a convincing proposal to recruit Kim Min-jae.”
Meanwhile, Serie A, where Kim Min-jae is active, resumes the league schedule, which was suspended due to the World Cup, on January 4 next year. Napoli will face off against Inter Milan at 4:45 a.m. on the 5th of January in Korea time.